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Wednesday, August 1, 4:45 p.m. - Today, I'm starting a  countdown. Rikketyrik. who has contributed some really good ideas for this website, made the suggestion and it's a good one.  So every day, we'll peel off another day.  The First and Goal website says that the stadium will be done August 1, 2002.

Thursday, August 2, midday and 4:30 p.m. - Today was a big day!  They had a wonderful ceremony - some speakers for a crowd of hard hat-ted folks complete with cheering (bottom left). It was great.  On the right, you can see the last piece being lifted in and on the top left you can see the results.  That is one big scoreboard!!  That last piece is 90,000 pounds!  Next week, the rusty thingies (or falsework towers) will come down and be trucked away to their next assignment.  One of the cranes will move out next week and the other one will go about mid-September.  It will be a strange photo with no cranes at all!

Friday, August 3, 4:15 p.m. - Isn't today's sky dramatic?!  The funny part is that after I got the photo into the computer and saw that sky, I went back to the terrace to check and it either turned bluer in the intervening 2 minutes or the camera is playing trick son us!  There are ropes over the side of the northeast tower and I think they might be getting ready to add the brickwork up at the top there like they have at the bottom.

Saturday, August 4, 4 p.m. - It's been brought to my attention that I haven't discussed the tree. Putting a tree on the highest point of a construction project is a traditional milestone.  It's part of the topping off ceremony.  Also on that scoreboard are several banners.  The one second from the top has signatures all over it - it's hard to see but very cool looking.  Today's photo also has arrows - the scaffolding came down and the stair frames are up on that northwest corner.  Also we have another new thing today.  I got a note in my website guestbook from Jon who did the stadium renderings that I've posted here from time to time. I foraged around First and Goal and found a bunch that I've never seen before.  I made a page of them.  They actually answer at least one question that Jeff brought up on the ClamCam forum.  The southeast lump now has this nice color to it and I thought it was primer but if you look at the renderings, you'll see that they are all that color.  It's going to look really neat!

Sunday, August 5, 5 p.m. - Not a whole lot going on today but it's not totally quiet either.  There's a guy walking around out there (see arrow) and at the risk of sounding like a tattle-tale, he's not wearing a hard hat...  This time last year we were basically a pile of rocks with cranes sticking out.  I'm always amazed at the this time last year photos.

Monday, August 6, 4:30 p.m. - It's so dark today that you can't really see this very well, but they pulled some of the plastic off of one of the banks of seats.  It makes a big difference in the look.  They are sure going to make a gorgeous sea of blue when they all get in.

Tuesday, August 7, 5:15 p.m. - Today we have a bonus photo.  Robert caught the photo on the right this morning off of Turner's webcam.  Isn't it amazing?  It does look like the little blue crane has gone on to his next job.

Wednesday, August 8, 5:15 p.m. - More seats went in today but otherwise, I can't see any significant changes... of course, whenever I say this, one (or sometimes many) of you picks out some thing really obvious that I missed.  So, bring it on!

Thursday, August 9, 5:15 p.m. - Lots more seats today.  Yesterday they removed some of the scaffolding work from that interior part of the northwest tower (hard to see because of the shadows) and they put up temporary railings on the grand staircase (also hard to see).  The railings are wood beams across sawhorse things.

Friday, August 10, 6 p.m. - Still more seats but you can see the clear difference between the ones with the plastic covering still on and the real seats (arrow points to what they will look like).  And the circle is around a tarp they put up yesterday.  Wonder what they are doing behind there???

Saturday, August 11 5:15 p.m. - Rikketyrik sent a note that First and Goal has more new pictures up and they are really good ones this time.  There's even a photo of the cake they served at the topping off ceremony.  Their photos have gotten a lot more frequent and a lot more interesting... I think it's the competition <grin>.

Sunday, August 12 4:45 p.m. - Those of you who aren't here in Seattle might have noticed that we've had a string of non-gray days.  We just got envious of your heat wave and wanted one of our own.  This day last year wasn't even gray, but the site sure looked bare, didn't it?

Monday, August 13, 6:30 p.m. - I'm late, I'm late!  So sorry.  I got in late from work and didn't even take time to examine the view or the photo so it's up to you... What's new today??

Tuesday, August 14, 5 p.m. - There's some kind of action going on by those stairs on the northeast tower...  It's been so long since we've had rain that everything is really dusty.  They have been wetting down the staging area every night for the past several nights.

Wednesday, August 15, 4:15 p.m. - Look who escaped the bowl?!  Big Blue!  He's out!  As I took the photo, he was helping the guys on the northwest tower.  They are welding some stuff up there.  I think a new beak is on the horizon.

Thursday, August 16, 1:45 p.m. - Check out the end of the arch!  They removed that platform thing and now you can actually see those massive cables.  Wow.  They must really be getting ready to add that final beak.

Friday, August 17, 4:30 p.m. - That frisky Big Blue crane is now back in the 'bowl'.  They must be close to taking down the rusty thingies on the west side.  I think that will end the Craneologist's (operator of the Big Blue crane) run on this job.  He will be missed.  His partner in crime (or maybe that should be crane), Little Blue, left at the first of August.

Saturday, August 18, 1:15 p.m. - So, you guys are asleep at the switch... Yesterday, they put The Erection Company hut (the old dog house) on the top of the grand staircase platform and nobody caught it.  Not even me!  The other circle (to the left) points out some interior work - probably the preparation for one of the glass walls.  It didn't just spring up either, but I just noticed it.

Sunday, August 19, 4:45 p.m. - There was actually some work going on early this morning.  I'm not sure what, but I could see some trucks moving around and hear some construction noise.  But, it didn't last long.  Today's this time last year photo is still an amazing contrast.

Monday, August 20, 5 p.m. - You can mark this date as "The Last Beak" day.  You can see, in today's photo, Big Blue is helping set up the dog house on the new beak.  We are now a four beak stadium!!  And, yes, the rusty thingies are gone.  I got lots of notes and a posting on the ClamCam Forum.  Greg reminded me that Charpy's photos probably give us the biggest, clearest view.

Tuesday, August 21, 5 p.m. - Ok first a correction!  Yesterday's beak is the third beak.  The one on the southwest end isn't in place yet.  And, in fact, getting it in place is going to take some special work.  Big Blue can't do it.  He's too big!   Even totally stripped, he can only get down to 700,000 pounds (my goal weight?!)  That kind of weight would shred Occidental Avenue which is the only access.  So a 250 pound rubber tired crane will be making the placement.  Thanks to the Craneologist for this cool info.  Long time page visitor Rich Hibbard shared with me some photos that his friend, Rick Battle took.  They are so great, I made a page out of them.  Check it out!

Wednesday, August 22, 1:45 p.m. - It's a dreary day here in Seattle and unusually warm and muggy.  A good day, I guess, to put in more seats.  They are now filling in that northern section of the west side.  It's going to look very cool when they get them all in.

Thursday, August 23, 12:45 p.m. - Sorry about the picture quality lately.  The weather has just not been cooperating!  We have more seats today.  I also have a circle in today's photo.  It's hard to make out what's there and it was there yesterday and I don't know what it is, but they are clearly building up something there at the top of those stairs.

Friday, August 24, 4:15 p.m. - A good day for a photo at last!  So I circled the new thing again because today you can really see it.  I think it's going to be some thing important.  They have put in lots more seats.  I was at the Mariner game yesterday and had a clear view of the east side and the new seats.  They looked pretty cool!

Saturday, August 25, 4:30 p.m. - I haven't seen anyone working on the site today. I suspect the weather may have something to do with that.  Seattlelites do not like to spend a beautiful day like today at work.  But, they just showed a worker on top of the west side arch on the Fox coverage of the Mariners' game!  Michael wrote on the ClamCam forum that he's tired of the same old view... For him and for anyone else, don't forget to check out the various other sources for different views....  There's  Dan Sherbeck's live cam, and the Turner Web cam and Charpy's excellent shots.

Sunday, August 26, 3 p.m. - In the This Day Last Year photo you can see the beginnings of the west side stands.  This time next year, we're liable to be seeing people sitting in them.  Amazing.

Monday, August 27, 5:30 p.m. - I'm afraid it's another day of no discernable difference.  There is a lot of activity on the site - trucks moving around and people moving here and there, but I can't see anything new in today's photo.

Tuesday, August 28, 4:15 p.m. - We have the usual more seats and other small changes.  But, you can also clearly see the stairs there on the northwest tower and if you look closely you can see the frame that will house the giant screen that's going into that place.  (If you've forgotten what that will look like you can see it clearly in the huge rendering photos.)

Wednesday, August 29, 3:53 p.m. - The west side roof - which you can't see in the photo but I can if I lean way out my terrace - is really coming along.  The about the only part of the arch that isn't painted white yet is the part you can see in the picture!

Thursday, August 30, 4:30 p.m. - They are pulling the plastic off of lots of the seats and you can now see a lot deeper blue in the stands.  It looks nice.  For the past week there have been trucks full of large concrete forms in the staging area and they aren't moving.  I'm guessing they are for the west side - maybe those seats near the field.  But, I'm wondering why they have been sitting around so long.  Always before they were moving them in and moving them out at a fairly good clip.

Friday, August 31, 4 p.m. - I got home early from work today and the site was nearly totally silent.  I'm thinking Labor Day weekend started early all the way around.  Before today there was a tree and a flag on the top of the scoreboard structure that they put up there on August 4.  Today they are both gone.  Wonder what that deal is??!!