remember, all photos are thumbnails - click on them to get the bigger version

Friday, December 1, 11 a.m. - Ok, it's been a wild week at work and I just haven't been able to focus like I should.  You'll notice this photo is way out of focus.  But, at least I did manage to get daylight!  Next week will be better I promise.

Saturday, December 2, 1:30 p.m. - Well, the final tower looks like it's pretty lump-ready to me!  Also that southwest wall is looking more and more like a stadium wall with ramps to get up to the upper seats.  There wasn't much work going on today.  And Sundays have been really quiet so I'm not looking for the lump to be installed until next week.

Sunday, December 3, 12:30 p.m. - Today, I thought, since there wasn't much new in the photo, I'd pan back a bit and give you more.  Generally, I zoom in as far as my camera can.  Today's photo is zoomed out.  Today's Seattle Times ran a story of the construction and a photo.  The online version of the photo isn't as good as the one in the paper.  When I saw it, I noticed several things that weren't right... then I read the caption which said that it was taken November 2.  The online version neglects to mention this.

Monday, December 4, noon - I just realized tonight that I had forgotten to add the date back in on the photos (I took it off last week for some other photos).  It will be back tomorrow for those of you who like to double check me <grin>.  Also today's photo is really foggy and I have no idea why.  I'll try to do better. Still no last lump.

Tuesday, December 5, 11:30 a.m. - Today's photo is yet another substandard one.  I have a new job at work.  It's a great job but it's really creating havoc with my photo taking.  I can't seem to get away during the day at a time that is good for the photo.  I'm going to have to get better organized!  Tonight they are working under lights in several sections.  They are building up that strange thing that looks like a wall in the middle of the field.  That is really a curiosity.

Wednesday, December 6, 1:30 p.m. - I'm a little happier with today's photo.  They are making fast strides with the metal work around the top of the east side.  I just went out to see what night work they are doing (it's 5:30 and dark now).  They aren't doing much, but, they have a Christmas tree with lights!!!  I cannot see it in today's photo but that could be because it just doesn't show up - compared to the northwest tower it sits in front of, it's small.  But, at night it looks really neat.

Thursday, December 7, 1:30 p.m. - Well, today I caught them moving a small truck up to the landing above the seats!  You can't see it that well but I did circle it.  And I looked for the Christmas tree in the daylight today and, at first, I couldn't find it and then I saw it with it's twin on top of the tower!!  And tonight, you can see that they have wonderful Christmas lights turned on.  It looks very cool but sure going to make putting that last lump in tricky!  And, Sean Watts pointed out that the wall they are building to the left of the Christmas tree tower is making Safeco Field disappear... hmmmm

Friday, December 8, 1:30 p.m. - Ok, as long as we don't have sunshine, I think I've found that about 1:30 nets me the best shot of the day.  They finished the iron atop the eastside seats.  It's really really beginning to feel like a stadium.  Oh, and the scoreboard thing on the north edge is getting a little taller.  That sucker is really going to block a lot of my view.

Saturday, December 9, 1 p.m. - That green crane in the circle is a concrete pouring crane... so I'm guessing they are filling some holes up there.  And yet another wall to block my view is going up just to the east of that final tower.  Don't these people understand that blocking my view hurts all of us??!!

Sunday, December 10, 1 p.m. - I was hoping to get a photo with snowfall, but, alas, the forecasters missed again.  It's been looking like it could start any minute and it feels cold enough but nothing so far.  This morning, the red crane was moving around.  It didn't seem to do much but just crawl around.  And there was nothing else going on.  Strange.  But, now, it's still and there's no one on site that I can see.

Monday, December 11, 1 p.m. - They are really working on the stuff in the middle of the field, but it isn't taking enough shape yet for me to really understand it.  Thanks to our Seattle gray sky, today's photo is a little more clear than most of them lately.

Tuesday, December 12, 2 p.m. - The scoreboard thing is growing and there was much action - trucks moving and cables swinging and hardhats moving around when I took this picture.  Funny how sometimes it looks like a beehive and sometimes a graveyard.  It's now 6 p.m. and several areas are lit for work.

Wednesday, December 13, 10 a.m. - This nice gray morning gave me a great shot today.  But, if I had been really sharp, I would have gotten the shot about 3 p.m. when we actually had snow!  Well, it was a dozen flakes but it was real snow!  I did not point out previously the new seats in the upper rim of the south side and today they added even more on top!

Thursday, December 14, 2 p.m. - No snow today... just rain.  But, it still nets me a good shot.  I couldn't see any major differences today but they were all working in the rain.

Friday, December 15, 1:30 p.m. - Well, yesterday I sure missed it.  They not only added more seats to the top row, there was a crane delivering steel in the photo!  Today there are more seats still and the cranes look like they are getting ready to high five each other!  I got a call today from a woman at the Washington State Public Stadium Authority.  She's working on the next issue of their monthly newsletter and wanted a quote from a stadium 'neighbor' about the changing view of last year.  You guys know me, I never pass up a press opportunity!  I'll let you know when the issue comes out.

Saturday, December 16 3 p.m. - They are slapping that steel up and filling it with seats at an amazing clip.  There aren't a whole log of workers visible today but there are some.  It's a cold and rainy day... not a good day for outdoor work.

Sunday, December 17, 1 p.m. - I probably should gripe about the sun, living in Seattle, but when it's out, my shot goes to pot.  Nothing going on today anyway so I guess it's ok.  I was going to post one of the big versions today but the picture's just not good enough - where are the clouds when you need them?

Monday, December 18, 2 p.m. - Big Version today!  It's not as crisp as I would have liked but it does show some good detail that you might not have been able to see before.

Tuesday, December 19, noon - More upper seats!  I didn't have time to study the site - it was just a shoot and run deal, so I don't know what they were really up to today.  There are several spots out there now (5:30 p.m.) with big lights and people working.

Wednesday, December 20, 1 p.m. - Big day!  A circle, an arrow and, due to the importance of the new thing, I had to break out a whole new graphic.  The circle shows where they ripped off the wooden form around the base of the scoreboard tower... they actually did this a couple of days ago but I wasn't paying attention (and neither were you guys).  The arrow points to new things in the northwest wall.  But, the star... yep, the 4th and last lump was being put into place when the photo was shot.  What lucky timing!

Thursday, December 21, 2 p.m. - John Schweers spoke up on your behalf...  That wooden form was on the scoreboard base until yesterday.  You eagle eyes out there won't let me get away with anything.  And, I love that.  Today we have more steel on top, more concrete in the northwest wall and more of that curious plastic on the lower seats.  I still am confused by that.  I'm guessing it's to keep the seats dry but why and why just some of them?

Friday, December 22, 2 p.m. - Even more steel today.  I had occasion to see the other interior side this afternoon (the one facing east) and they have a whole lot of work to do on that side yet.  I figured they finished our side first so we could see.  Now, Colin Walker offered up two theories on the plastic.  One is that it's allowing some joining compound or other goo (his technical term) to dry.  The other - and my favorite - is that there is workspace underneath those particular seats and the plastic keeps that work area dry.

Saturday, December 23, 1:25 p.m. - It's a cold and rainy day out today and not a stirring on the construction site.  I wonder if they haven't hung up their hard hats until Tuesday...  It's warm and toasty in there, though.  I'm trying out one of those new crackle logs and it really crackles!

Sunday, December 24, 3:00 p.m. - I just saw movement out there and jumped up to shoot the photo... One guy in a golf cart who got behind the rock pile before I could capture him for you.  That may be all the action until Tuesday and I missed it.  Sorry.

Merry Christmas! - noon - Today's photo is one of the big ones.  The light is good and I got a crisp photo so I thought you might like to see some detail.  There's no action out there.  I can't even see the Golf Cart Guy today.  Wonder what this shot will look like next Christmas or the one after that?!  I hope all of you are having wonderful holidays.

Tuesday, December 26, 1:30 p.m. - Well, everyone was back on the job today!  There's a new wooden form on the northwest wall and I caught a welder welding (see bottom of photo near the left).  And, it was pretty noisy.  I had the door open for a bit and you could really hear the action.

Wednesday, December 27, 3:30 p.m. - Today's circle marks some steel looking supports they have put up in front of the northeast tower wall.  They also added more top seat supports - looks like the final piece there.  The wall just next to the northwest tower is also growing - cutting off more of my view, I might add...

Thursday, December 28, 4 p.m. - We've added more seats (see circle) and I caught a welder welding (see arrow)... Just seconds before the picture snapped, there was this very cool tail of sparkles coming down from the welding but the blue crane moved in front of it and the sparkles stopped before I could get the photo.  Sigh.

Friday, December 29, 2:30 p.m. - They are continuing to add stuff to the top seat row.  There are seats sprinkled around the site ready to be added.  Today's photo is not great - we've got this layer of fog that just won't clear so I can get a good photo.  Sometimes you just get no cooperation!

Saturday, December 30, noon - Another crisp photo so I made it another big one.  I did forget to mention yesterday that they took the wooden forms off the top of that northwest wall.  There are a few workers out there today but not a whole lot of action.

Sunday, New Year's Eve, 1:15 p.m. - All's quiet.  And all's wet.  Although it's only been dripping a bit today, it sure must have rained hard and long last night - there are big lakes in the parking lot and on the job site.  We don't see that too often.  I put together a couple of special pages for the year 2000.  Check 'em out!