Here's another shot by Bill Gallaway

This is the Claiborne Kyle Log House

Claiborne Kyle Log House

Mississippi Senator, Claiborne Kyle and his wife Lucy Kyle’s home, built in 1850.

The Claiborne Kyle Log House was built in 1850 by slave labor for Claiborne and Lucy Bugg Kyle and their nine children.

Kyle was a Senator in Mississippi. He went on the bond of an old friend, Robert Graves, the State Treasurer, who was accused of embezzlement. A short time later Graves disappeared and the forfeiture of the bond was so financially disastrous to Kyle that he sold his remaining property and came to Texas. The story goes that he told his slaves, some of whom had been sold, that he was leaving early the next morning and anyone who wanted to go with him to Texas to be at the dock. An undisclosed number of slaves came with the Kyle family.

The log house is built of cedar logs, square notched at the corners and secured by wooden pegs. Alternate courses of log and rock grouting and caliche were used. The 10 by 6 dogtrot opens between two double room sections. The Kyle house is a most unusual type known as the “Linear four- pen dog trot.” It is listed in the Terry Jordan book Texas Log Cabins and a picture and story appears in the book, Nineteenth Century Homes.

(I wrote/edited this for the Kyle Chamber last year. Not sure if it's been published)

Parked outside the VFW
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS MOTORCYCLE GROUP
Unit 16-12058
www.vfwmg16.com/

Here's a little video I did featuring the light show at the main square in Kyle (around the old City Hall) with a impromptu sing-along by my 1 year old, Harper, who doesn't thing Santa should give the singer what she wants apparently.

If you're around Kyle in the next few days, I highly recommend checking this out.

"Santa Baby"(little clip)

Sunset over Baptist Church in Kyle
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

The view of the sky behind the First Baptist Church in Kyle, Texas.
www.firstbaptistchurchkyletx.com

Kyle Elementary School Drawings
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

Here's another shot from the Nov. 1 Dia De Los Muertos party in Kyle.

There was a long fence with drawings from local schoolkiddos... really cute stuff (if death is cute).

Old Town Gift Emporium
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

This is the building the mural will be installed upon.
I'm really looking forward to seeing it up.

This is on Center Street in Kyle, right next door to the Texas Pie Company.


What is this place going to be?
Well... according to their Website - "Old Town Gift Emporium is a great place for buying & selling antiques, collectibles, art, gifts, sculptures, vintage toys, vintage signs and locally made specialty food items."

Visit them at http://www.oldtowngiftskyle.com/.

Drive on the Parkway
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

You know the old joke... why do you drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?

Sorry I've been a bit absent... I bought an entertainment magazine a few months ago and we had the redesign launch party this past Friday. It was fairly involved to pull it off... but it was great.

If your interested in seeing the magazine, visit http://www.myspace.com/insiteaustin

or you can see the redesign here: http://flickr.com/photos/seanclaes/sets/72157606658110575/

CenterGrocery676.jpg
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

Here's the sign from the Center Grocery Market in Kyle.... cool thing... one of my photos of the Lottery sign in the window was just used in a blog about the Texas Lottery...

Rock on.

http://dfwdriveyourdream.com/blog/?p=2324&preview=true

They found the shot on Kyle, Texas Daily Photo... Neat.

The John Wheeler Bunton Bell Wall Memorial



(On the plaque)
Born in Summer County , Tenn., John Wheeler Bunton migrated to Texas in 1833. To secure freedom for his new homeland, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, helped draft a constitution, and fought in the siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. a lawyer, rancher, and owner of extensive lands. Bunton served in the 1st and 3rd Congresses of the Republic of Texas. He lived in Austin and Bastrop Counties before settling in Hays County near Mountain City. Originally buried in this county, Bunton was reinterred in the State Cemetery in Austin in 1932.

While researching this (because I didn't want to actually have to type the words on the plaque) I found this other collection of Hays County photos on Flickr - from a person named ednurseathkh http://www.flickr.com/photos/texashistoricalmarkers/sets/72157594510240488/. Seems this person has been traveling Texas and shooting historical markers. Neat.

All about Santa - Santa arrives in Kyle...cont.


Santa arrives on a fire truck.


Says hello to kiddos of all ages.


Smile!


Kyle Mayor Miguel Gonzalez poses with his family


Mayor Gonzalez interviews Santa... by the way... favorite cookie is Chocolate Chip.


Kiddos from 6 different Elementary schools help the Mayor and Santa turn the lights on... TREE LIT!


My little one loved Santa's beard... My older one told Santa she wanted a new step stool.

AND... of course I had to get a photo with the man.

STOP in the name on love


How's this for a sense of progress? We're getting a stoplight in the main square. I know I'm going to love it.

Santa Continued...
Hope you don't mind checking out these shots, I've got others around town waiting, but I just thought I'd give you a week or so of Santa's Party @ the Square we had last Wednesday. So... here's some of the activities...


Of course, the tree lighting was HUGE.


Rock Climbing - that little girl on the right was AWESOME.


This little boy was intensely serious about his snowflake making.


This is probably one of my favorite photos of the night. A little girl and her letter to Santa.


This is my daughter being helped by one of the great volunteers from Texas State University - San Marcos to write her letter. She wants a new stepstool, a pink Sleeping Beauty and a pink shirt by the way.


The "moon bounce" was a huge hit too.

Tomorrow I'll finish it off by featuring the photos of folks with Santa.

The Food
Boy Scouts sold Corn Dogs... and there was other fried goodies! I talked with the Boy Scout Troop leader, and you know how most Boy Scouts sell Trails End Popcorn door to door? Well.. these kiddos sell corn dogs at events... apparently make more money and get to go to better camps because of it. That's BEING PREPARED. I'm sure the parents are happy too.. no having to deliver popcorn house to house.

Continued

Family and Friends pose for photos.

He came... he saw... WE HAD A BLAST!

Starting at 4:30p.m. yesterday, folks formed a line to meet Santa Claus.



Of course.. the couple of the hour (or evening as the case may be): Santa and Mrs. Claus!


He saw hundreds of kiddos and it looked like a lot of money was raised for Operation Blue Santa (http://www.bluesanta.org/).

I'll share some other shots in the next week. It was a blast.

SANTA CLAUS... I KNOW HIM... I KNOW HIM!

I've been asked to be an official photographer for Santa Claus coming to Kyle... tonight! Ho Ho Ho (it's still a thing)!


Santa'sArrival & Tree Lighting Ceremony
Kyle City Square Park & Gazebo
November 28, 2007

Santa Arrives at 4:30pm
Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6:00pm

School Choir Concert Schedule:
5:00pm Kyle Elementary Choir
5:15pm Fuentes Elementary Choir
5:30pm Science Hall Elementary Choir
5:45pm Hemphill Elementary Choir
6:10pm Wallace Middle School Choir
6:30pm Barton Middle School Choir
6:50pm Dahlstrom Middle School Choir
7:10pm Chapa Middle School Choir
7:30pm Hays High School Choir
7:55pm Lehman High School Choir

Flyer (From City of Kyle Website...click it to make it bigger)

KUMC New Life Center - #8 in the series


It's been almost 2 months since I last updated the progress on the building of the Kyle United Methodist Church fellowship hall. Since then I've learned that it's not actually going to be called a "fellowship hall." It will be the New Life Center. Anyhow... there's been a lot of progress since my last post in the series. Here's the link to #7 in the series.

So.. here's the new shots:

A view from the side:


And a view from the back corner:

This is the entrance....

Texas Old Town is the Special Event Center in town. I've yet to attend a function there... but I hear it's a nice place. Perhaps someday I'll share photos from inside.

The "gate" is nice.

My Neighbor's Garden


Why do I need to grow flowers when 3 doors down my neighbor is making these beauties possible? My daughter and I like to go down the sidewalk and check them out. She's 3... I asked her to pick todays photo out and she chose this one because she "likes butterflies and pink."

Happy Sunday.

Get Your Goat On!


If you look closely you'll see that the goat-dogs weren't too happy with me taking a photo.
:)