The Kingdome Comes Down...
December 2000
You should consider
getting this video...
Dan Sherbeck of Dan's web cam,
has a video that you really should get. It has some of the best
video of the implosion PLUS a very cool video of post-implosion and
early construction - a frame a day for about six weeks. It's just
wild to watch. He's selling the video on his website. It's only $10 and most of the
money goes to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.
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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! |
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