Happy Father's Day.

This is also my 1,000th post on Kyle Daily Photo. Not bad.. I began this wondering if I could find 365 different things to take a photo of in Kyle... since I started this town has expanded in an amazing way... a regional hospital, large-scale grocery store, many chain restaurants, a revitalized downtown (in the making) banks, banks, and more banks, apartments and thousands of homes. I'm lucky to have been the guy with the camera.

That has nothing to do with today's photos.. I just thought I'd say that. Thanks all who have been checking this page out. It's fun to do and has introduced me to some really interesting and cool folks.

Here's the pic

FREE BREAKFAST & LUNCH ALL SUMMER AT HAYS SCHOOLS

Several schools within the Hays CISD school district are offering free breakfast and lunch for kids all summer long (except July 5-8). This photo was taken Thursday (grilled cheese day) at Negley Elementary.

Here's the information from Hayscisd.net

Any child under the age of 18 is eligible for free breakfast or lunch this summer at the following schools:

• Wallace Middle School, weekdays, June 7 through August 6, breakfast is from 8:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and lunch is from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (no meals will be served July 5-8);
• Camino Real Elementary School, Monday-Thursday, June 7 through July 1, 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. for breakfast and 11:30 a.m. to noon for lunch;
• Negley Elementary School, weekdays, June 7 through August 6, breakfast is from 8:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and lunch is from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (no meals will be served July 5-8);
• Fuentes Elementary School, weekdays, June 7 through August 13, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., for breakfast and 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch;
• Science Hall Elementary School, weekdays, June 8 through July 1, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for breakfast and 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch (no meals will be served on July 5;
• Chapa Middle School, weekdays, June 14 through July 9, 7:15 a.m. to 8 a.m. for breakfast and 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for lunch (no meals will be served on July 5);
• Lehman High School, weekdays from June 14 through July 23, 7:35 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. for breakfast and 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch (no meals will be served July 5);
• Tom Green Elementary School, weekdays from July 26 through August 6, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for breakfast and 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch.

Costs of meals for adults is $1.75 for breakfast and $3 for lunch.

I got myself a summer doo... what do you think?

What can this be? Well... it's an experiment my kids and I did that I found on a Website called Families With A Purpose called "Wild and Wacky Colors Science Experiment." If you'd like to see the video of my kids (we're doing a number of them this summer... this is number three) performing this experiment follow this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVHYZt3MGKA.

Meet "Dale" the Dolphin (named because kids at the pool kept calling it a whale and I kept correcting them saying it's a dolphin...  dolphin + whale = "Dale." I've owned Dale for about 3 years but it's lived in my garage for that time (it was on sale for about $4 at Wallgreens then but you can find him on Amazon for about $10). I finally brought him out of the garage and took him to the pool in the Plum Creek neighborhood. This is my 6 year-old riding Dale...

Plum Creek's Front Porch Days 2010 (Kyle, Texas)
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

A few years ago I actually won the raffle for the quilt from these fine ladies... they are the Kyle Quilters. You can find out more about them at http://www.kasz.org (the site of the Kyle Area Senior Zone, Inc.).

I don't know when this quilt with a Texas theme is being raffled off.. but I took this photo in May at Plum Creek's Front Porch Days.

This is "Pastor Barbie" a creation of my Sunday school class at Kyle United Methodist Church. We gave it to Pastor Barbara Aziz on the first anniversary of her being pastor of our church. Several members of got together and created this by beginning with a "Barbie Basics Doll #2" and then adding custom made pastor robe, glasses, plus a pulpit and a "baptism kit" complete with baby Kyle (one of the things you can do with "Pastor Barbie" is baptize babies). You can see more photos here - on my Flickr page.

Barbie can do ANYTHING.

Apparently some people aren't too thrilled that there's no bike/rollerblading/scooter/skateboard riding on campus at Negley Elementary.

This past Tuesday was Hope and Love 4 Kids benefit night AND $1 scoop night at Baskin Robbins in Kyle (5401 FM 1626). I went down and picked up 4 scoops for the family (Cherries Jubilee is awesome by they way). I also caught Joshua Legare sampling the Lemon Custard. He said it was fantastic.

According to their sire, Hope and Love 4 Kids is dedicated to "helping children in our community by providing basic necessities, comforting them in their time of need and uplifting them through service and outreach."

For more information about the neat things Hope and Love 4 Kids is doing, visit their Website - http://hopeandlove4kids.org/

Vacation Bible School at Kyle United Methodist Church is a BLAST. A "Galactic Blast." That's the theme. There's a 25+ foot rocket ship in the New Life Center and a hundred or more kiddos are on the trip to discover the awesomeness of God.

When I took the girls swimming the other day the Hays Swim Club was practicing (one of the pools in Plum Creek)... so I got a shot of Coach D. Scott Brown teaching the kids in the club how to properly dive into the water. Hopefully the girls will be old enough soon to join. I know they love the water.

It's a convoy!

DSCF9644.JPG
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

I've been in Port Aransas (the beach) all weekend.. so I didn't post. I'll get back to it.. It was a much needed break.

The rain has washed away this message.. but I preserved it on film.
I asked my 3 year-old what she wanted to say in chalk... she asked me to write this.

It says "Welcome, God, to our family. I hope you enjoy your ride."

Jousting with Peeps #1
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

So... I was kind of bored the other day... and decided to joust two peeps in the microwave....

The one on the left won.
You can see the whole battle on my Flickr (scroll down a little)- Here.

Of course.. I had to go a little further and I created a YouTube video of a peep battling a "Peep Christmas Tree." Want to know who wins?  Watch the video.

IT'S TWOFER TUESDAY.
Mostly because I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. It was a long day... we went to The Spazmatics on Sunday night and... well... let's just say I was moving a little slow Monday.

Anyhow... here's the Twofer. Sunday after church we had a pot-luck lunch to honor the two high-school graduates and our two foreign exchange students (Did you know that on "That 70s Show" Fes was not the kid's real name? F.E.S. stood for Foreign Exchange Student.. there's some needless Jeopardy knowledge for you... no charge.).

Here's a couple of photos.

The first is Seth and Jarrod our High School graduates...

Next is our Foreign Exchange Students Haylie and David. They are headed home next week. We'll miss them.

DSCF9635.JPG
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

These birds sure grew fast. About 20 days ago
(click the link to see) they were just baby birds. Now... they are ready to fly away. I hope it's soon... because I need to wash the corner of my back porch... birds poo a lot.

What's Up?

Happy Saturday. This is my "What's Up?" Dog. A chalk creation from my driveway.
I know it looks more like an elephant... but.. trust me. it's a dog.

This was a big day in the Claes household. Our oldest daughter, Marlee, Graduated from Kindergarten at Negley Elementary School in Kyle. Here's a few photos.

Marlee and her teacher, Mrs. Lisa Corn

Marlee gets her diploma from principal Will Webber.


Here's Mrs. Corn's Class.

CONGRATS TO ALL THE GRADUATES OF KINDERGARTEN 2010!

CHICK-FIL-A OPENS TOMORROW.

Yes, I'm a little excited. Kyle is getting a Chick-fil-A. Not only is this one of my favorite fast-food restaurants, it's one of the first jobs I had when growing up in Laredo.Yep.. I unloaded the truck each week and worked in the kitchen... and it's STILL one of my favorite restaurants.

Back to the Kyle location...I'm considering wandering by there tomorrow morning to see if I'll be one of the first 100 customers... the deal is... the first 100 customers at a new Chick-fil-A establishment get a free meal a week for a year. That's worth it's weight in waffle fries.

I think I'll drive by there later today to see if there's a bunch of "campers."

Here's the details on the first 100 - http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#insidersfirst100.

For more info on the Kyle Chick-fil-a, visit their Facebook page.

So... last Saturday was the Kyle United Methodist Church garage sale.
Some of the members had a little fun and made a bet.

I picked the most interestingly ugly item in the garage sale (not pictured but it was "stone" urn) and about 11 of us bet on what time it would sell.

The person who guessed closest to the time it'd sell (it sold at 8:02a.. I'd guessed 7:15a) won.

The reward for winning was... the winner got to pick 1 item each from the leftover items at the end of the garage sale to give to each person who was part of the bet. The recipient must then PROMINENTLY display said item in their home for not less than 1 month.

Here's 5 photos of people who didn't win and the things they must now have displayed in their home.
Yes.. that's me with the dragon hand-toy.

Good times.

The Kyle United Methodist Church's Garage Sale is ON right now. Until Noon... Come on out.
I'll be there.

Righteous Brisket
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

This is the band Righteous Brisket @ Plum Creek's Front Porch Days 2010. I reviewed their new release "Butcher's Brew" on my "writing blog" called Notes From The Cubicle. I am currently reviewing an Austin-based Band's CD each week for a year. This was Week 37. You can read all about my 52 Austin CD Reviews in 52 Weeks.. and see Weeks 1-37 by clicking here.

Or here: http://seanclaesdotcom.blogspot.com/2009/09/52-austin-cd-reviews-in-52-weeks.html

Garage Sale this Saturday at Kyle United Methodist Church.
7a-12n

(I made this flier.. and took the photo of our New Life Center.)

The KUMC is located on Lockhart Street...

Location: One block off Center Street in Kyle. From IH-35, exit #213. Go West onto Center Street (the main street, also called RR-150) toward downtown Kyle. Take a right onto N. Nance Street, then a left onto West Lockhart Street. Our sanctuary is the brown, brick building, with our Family Life Center located next to it.

See you there?

DSCF9169.JPG
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

Our kickball tournament was rained out.... so the final standings for the season was what the Kyle PARD used to declare the winner of the Spring 2010 Season. This is a photo of the two members of the 1st place co-ed team Kegs and Legs.

The team I play on, Pray Ball, ended upi taking 3rd place... which is the best we've done thus far. We've played 3 "seasons." The Summer league is coming up... and we're going to be playing again.

In the woman's league, the team that took top honors was Showtime.

I think it's a message

I think it's a message
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

Saw this written on a playground in Plum Creek. Thought it was funny... Caden.. you've been requested.

Last year some birds made their home on my back porch. I took this photo in June 2009. When the birds flew away, I took the nest down. About a month ago I saw a nest beginning to form at the same place. I'm going to guess that this "mamma bird" was one of the baby birds in last year's photo.

The Texas Pie Company
202 W. Center, Kyle, Texas 78640

If you look closely, you'll see a cat on the roof. Apparently there's an apartment behind the big slice of pie and the deck has a drainage hole the cats can fit through. They are in no danger. This proves...even cats like pie.

While you're here....

IS ANYONE ELSE DOING THE Daily Mugshot? It's pretty neat. A photo a day... today I took photo #165.

Daily Mugshot

Beware of the Jellyfish
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

While at home taking care of a 3 and 6 year old... I've been honing my sidewalk chalk drawing skills.

Yes, I'm "between jobs" right now.. so if anyone knows any openings in the Austin/Kyle/New Braunfels area for a writer/creative/copywriter please shoot me a message. Thanks!

Kyle PARD co-ed kickball
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

This past Friday my team PRAY BALL from the Kyle United Methodist Church had a double-header. 6:30 and 8:30... so I hung out and watched the 7:30 game... here's a shot I got of the RUBBER BUSTERS (kicking) vs. GOT BALLS?.

This weekend is the Tournament.
So... if you head out to Gregg-Clarke Park this Saturday and Sunday May 15-16.. you'll see a bunch of great people hanging out and watching some great kickball. It's really a neat community.

Oh.. and if you want to play next season... visit http://www.cityofkyle.com/parks/NextSeason.php

If you don't have a team.. they may be able to place you with one.

After the Old Kyle City Hall Grand Re-Opening, the kids and I went to Mel D's Shaved Ice for a nice cool snowcone. We met Mel and she made me this awesome rainbow snowcone. The shop is located right next to the Pawn Shop on Burleson... in a little building directly across from the police department.

I got cherry/blueberry/pineapple (Mel is holding it above) and it was awesome.

Harper had the Blueberry (and she only wore a little bit of it)

Marlee was all about the bubblegum flavored one. She was NOT sharing either.

We hung out in the Kyle Square as the kiddos finished their treats.

About the best use for a couple of bucks I've had in a long time.



Mel D's Shaved Ice
102 N Burleson St, 
Kyle, TX 78640
http://mel-dshavedice.com/
Here's a map

I went to the Grand Re-Opening of the Renovated Old Kyle City Hall yesterday. It's looking really great.
It will be the home of the Kyle Area Seniors. Neat.

Ladies and gentlemen... my daughter.. BLONDEZILLA!

(at the kickball fields last night)

Washers Tournament @ Plum Creek's Front Porch Days 2010 (Kyle, Texas)

Washers Tournament @ Plum Creek's Front Porch Days 2010 (Kyle, Texas)
Originally uploaded by seanclaes

Had fun this past Sunday at Plum Creek's Front Porch Days. This was the washers tourney hosted by the Kyle United Methodist Church. I have 4 shots I took at Front Porch Days in this week's Hays Free Press... neat.

http://haysfreepress.com

A few days ago I promised some gravestone photos from the Kyle Cemetery...

Here's 2 from Marlee (Age 6)

And here's a couple I took.

This photo is by Jay West. It's from a past Front Porch Days celebration in the Plum Creek neighborhood. The yearly festival is today from 11-4p.


I wrote a story for it that ran in this weeks Hays Free Press - http://haysfreepress.com/archives/5336


I also wrote onr that ran in this week's Kyle-Buda Eagle - http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx