A CHILD'S LOVE

Anyone who is a grandparent knows the special joy and bond there is between a child and the grandparent. We who love them and spoil them and then send them home are blessed to be placed in our grandchildrens' lives. Today I spent the afternoon playing Uno on our screened in porch with Andrew. What a quiet, funny, enjoyable and bonding afternoon it was. Grape juice, pretzels, cards, and the cool summer air made for a wonderful time that I'll never forget. We need to treasure these times since time goes so fast. It was just the other day that this picture below was shot when Braden was just born. Now he is almost 3 1/2. Andrew and Kai are 5 1/2 and heading for kindergarten, and little Chase is 1 1/2. I don't want to miss any part of the boys' lives.

SERENDIPITY

Have you ever seen such beautiful gardens in a small restaurant in an out-of-the-way place? This restaurant is called Serendipity and is located in Oak Orchard which is about 30 minutes from Rehoboth Beach. You should really try this place. It is absolutely stunning in its decor. The inside is decorated with Japanese umbrellas hanging upside down from the ceiling. And there is color everywhere. It is located right on the water. You can walk outside and be at the bay. The food is delicious and the Maryland Crab soup is the best I've ever eaten.

SMB is also See Me Beautiful Photography. We are available to do shoots of many kinds. Hopefully, by looking at all our photographs here, you'll see our diversity. Look at how we can make your photographic needs our priority. Let us "see you beautiful"!

August 24, 2009

BANK HARBOR

Grandchildren have a way of teaching you as much as you teach them. They open up the world to you because of their innate curiosity. Creatures in the water are wonders to be explored, touched, and talked about. We took our net to this marina today to see what we could see. Andrew and Braden were amazed at the little fish we saw called "Shiners". They are beautiful little fish which are silver on the side and when they catch the sunlight, they shine with a world of beauty. It was hard at first to get the fish in our net but they finally got the hang of it and looked at each one as if it were a treasure. And, indeed, they were treasures. Andrew liked touching them and then threw them back. He and Path are a pair because they both love exploring all that nature has to offer. Braden was like his Nana and preferred just to look. He did, however, take his turn with the net and caught a few too. We found crabs, clams, and jelly fish in the marina too.
"I'll remember: Today I'm a student and my experiences are my teachers."--
Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg, The Promise of a New Day

Pray barefoot today, curling the toes and stretching heavenward. Lived with the heart of a child, each day is a whole-body celebration!

August 24, 2009

REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WEEK

This house is in North Bethany on the beach. Quite a beauty. Notice the breakfast bar and dining room table setup. Our 5-year old grandson picked out all the colors for us. As usual, please click on each photograph to see an enlargement.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB

Our church, Epworth-Rehoboth Methodist, sponsors and provides the facilities for the local Boys and Girls Club. We photographed several of their events and provided them with a computer slide show. The last event we photographed was a visit by service dogs that "listen" to kids read to them. It was fun to see these kids seriously reading to them and watch the attentiveness of the dogs. Please see the slide show over at the right of these events.

PARTS MODEL

Did you know that people model just certain body parts? Well, this woman is a foot model. Please see more of our shots in the slideshow on the right.

FUNDRAISER

These are but a few of the photos we took of five beautiful women--all of whom were cancer survivors. The photos will be used for postcard invitations to a cancer fundraiser.

CINDY and PATH

Many have said, "but there are no pictures of you two!" Well, here we are on Henlopen State Park beach at sunrise.

SEE ME BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAHY

Do you know that we started out as See Me Beautiful Photography? We both had an interest, and, yes, a passion for taking photographs. Our work started as an outlet for our creative sides. Both of us loved taking nature photography. We'd go out to state parks, local parks, hills, valleys, woods, and gardens to photograph the color and beauty of the flowers, trees, animals, skys, and God's world all around us. We also loved taking photos of people. Both of prefer taking candids of "moments in time", but will also find it interesting to do a posed sitting.

While we lived in Pennsylvania, we exhibited our work in several shows. We, also, sold our work in a shop in Williamsport, PA, and continue to sell some things in "The Artisan's Shoppe" in Wellsboro, PA. When we came to Rehoboth Beach, we first thought of using these talents to sell our work in local shops and/or take beach photography. Before too much time went by, Path, who is a REALTOR with Ocean Atlantic/Sothebys, saw a need for good photography for the real estate market around the area. This led to a division of See Me Beautiful Photography--SMB Real Estate Photography.

We hope to show you by the many different photos we include in our blog, how you could use our services too. We are much more than just a real estate photography business. We'd love to help you capture your "moments in time" too.

FATHER AND SON MOMENT

Andrew and his dad, Steven, enjoying a day at our pool.

A PHOTOGRAPHER'S FAVORITE

The collage below contains photos of a house we shot that backed to the marsh. This house was beautiful and bright with lots of windows that allowed you to view the green of the marshland. Notice the heron in the one photo. Please click on the collage to see enlargements of the photos.

THE ANCIENT MARINER

We've enjoyed getting to know the "Horseshoe Crab" as most people know it for the last year, especially when we lived in Broadkill. It is really an arthropod, related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions. One morning the beach was literally covered by these beings. We were told to "just flip 'em" when we saw them upside down. So we spent many mornings on Broadkill flipping our new friends. They are like turtles and can't right themselves unless people help them or a big wave takes them out to sea once again. We found out that the spring is the time of mating and the males come ashore first and when the time is right the females start arriving as the males wait along the water line. Then they hook together and go up into the sand. The female makes holes along the way and deposits her eggs. There could be up to 40,000 that she deposits. The males comes along and fertilizes them.

Here are some new facts we learned about them at the DE Center for the Inland Bays.

~They are not dangerous.
~Their tail will not hurt you. It is used to plow themselves through sand and to act as a rudder.
~Do not pick them up by the tail.
~The crab's central mouth is surrounded by its legs and is harmless.
~They have 2 compound eyes on the top of their shells with a range of about 3 feet.
~Horseshoe crabs can swim upside down in the open ocean using their dozen legs (most with claws) and a flap hiding nearly 200 flattened gills to propel themselves.
~They feed mostly at night and burrow for worms and mollusks.
~They grow by molting and emerge 25 percent larger with each molt. After 16 molts (usually between 9 and 12 years) they will be fully grown adults.
~Their eggs are food for migratory shore birds that pass over the Delaware Bay during the spring mating season.
~In the 1900s, horseshoe crabs were dried for use as fertilizer and pountry food supplements.
~The medical profession uses an extract from the horseshoe crab's blue, copper-based blood called lysate to est the purity of medicines. Certain properties of the shell have also been used to speed blood clotting and to make absorbable sutures.

*from www.beach-net.com/horseshoe/Bayhorsecrab.html
July 23, 2009

REAL ESTATE PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Who doesn't love a house on he beach with a pool too. This house has a wonderful living area with a spectacular view.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,
but what is woven into the lives of others." Pericles

GREEN DRINKS

Once a month people interested in the environment, new techniques in "green building", and related industries meet socially at different restaurants in the Rehoboth Beach area. These groups meet in other areas too. These photos were taken at the first one in the Rehboth area. It was at The Buttery in Lewes.

July 9, 2009

REAL ESTATE PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

The first photos shown this week are of a property outside of Rehoboth Beach. We probably like it because it reminds us of Lancaster County, PA.

Some work done by Amish.

Welcomed by Pisces the cat in the beautiful garden in backyard.

Farmette comes with 6 acres.

These photos are of a furnished model home which is already sold. Beautiful detail and windows.

Wonderful beach decor.

Attractive, flowing living space.

July 8, 2009

THE 4th of JULY

What a great weekend coming up. Is there a better place to spend a holiday than at the beach? Rehoboth has been packed all week and the traffic is still coming in. Luckily, we can see the local fireworks from our bedroom balcony. This way we don't have to fight the crowds. However, sometimes that is part of the celebration--being with others and feeling the excitement. There will be music downtown too and a 5k run in the morning. I'm sure our pool will be packed. Let us all remember the true meaning of this holiday and remember the greatness of this wonderful country we live in.

July 1, 2009