Yesterday, I dropped my car off for some much-needed service work, and this morning I picked it back up again. It's four years old now, and despite the fact it's in terrific overall shape, it had a few issues cropping up that needed to be taken care of, so I got it all done at once.

First off, with winter coming I knew I had to get new tires on the thing, because you don't head into the dark/snowy months up here with less than a quarter-inch of tread. If you've ever put tires on an SUV, you know they ain't cheap. Secondly, on the way home from Brainerd I noticed the steering had a slight "shimmy" to it at 70 mph, so I wanted to make sure we got it aligned when the new "shoes" went on. Thirdly, I had been wondering if it was my imagination that the horn sounded weak for the last month or two, and then in Brainerd I was confronted with a driver who was so creative with his approach to driving that his technique bordered on the revolutionary, as he turned left from the right-turn lane across four lanes of traffic, directly in front of me. As I hit the brakes I instinctively hit the horn as well, and (I'm not sure I can type how it sounded, but...) it went "BEEEEeeeeppp..." and then nothing. The sound of a horn actually going through its own death throes is a little disconcerting...

In addition, I also decided I'd rather not go through the winter attempting to peer through the smears on my windshield every time the wipers were running, so I had the worn-out blades replaced and I asked them to change the oil while they were at it.

So let's see... Four new tires, two new horns (and the labor involved with removing the grill and bumper to get at the old horns and replace them with two new ones), wheel alignment, new wiper blades, and an oil change... I am well more than a thousand dollars poorer than I was yesterday. Sweet! Most of that was tied up in the tires, of course, but the horn deal was about $350 and that would've been free... Six months ago! That's when my warranty ran out.

What does all of that have to do with anything? Absolutely nothing, but I had to vent...

I'd love to be blogging all about the Indy test session, but we didn't go. I'd love to tell you how I'm going to head down to Cordova for the match race this weekend, but for a variety of reasons well beyond my control, I won't be going. And, it would please me to no end if I could tell you almost anything race-car related, but all is pretty quiet right now... Okay, here are a few miscellaneous details, and then after these tidbits I have two new never-before-attempted themes to inundate you with, and both are accompanied by photo galleries.

Tidbit No. 1: In Indy, Tim will be taking part in a Ford "Drive One"
campaign by taking temporary delivery of a brand-spanking-new and very much redesigned Ford Taurus, which he'll get to play with throughout the weekend. Mike "Zippy" Neff has the vehicle right now, and he'll be handing it off to Tim when we all get there.

Tidbit No. 2: Tim has been invited to be a part of the NHRA pre-race press conference when we get to Memphis. One suspects some sort of barbeque will be on the menu.

Tidbit No. 3: Tim has also been invited to be a guest speaker at the Summit ET Bracket Finals dinner, at the Wally Parks NHRA Museum, on the Thursday night of the Pomona race. It's a big deal for the bracket racers who are part of the event, and he's excited to talk to them, get them amped up, and then join them for a nice dinner.

And that's about it for tidbits. Should you not care to see a really cool "insider's view" of Target Field, the Twins new ballpark still under construction, and should you care not one bit to take a satellite view "geography quiz" after that, well... Thanks for coming and have a great weekend!

For those of you still here, let's get to these two new concepts...
Suggestion: You might want to click on the little magnifying glass icon, next to the words "larger image" to view all of these in a larger format...

Let's go to Target Field! Yesterday, just after noon, I met up with my blog-reading cohort (who has access to the ballpark) about two blocks from the construction site. I donned my official hard hard and yellow vest, slid on the cool safety glasses I bought the day before, and we walked over to the main construction entrance. We were on "official business" baby, or at least we aimed to look like we were, and in we went. Seriously, he was on business and my presence was approved, but we were certainly not there to get in anyone's way and since I'm not a real construction worker (and don't even play one on
TV) I had to do my best to blend in and stay low-profile, so as not to get anyone in hot water (myself included).

I'll start off with today's current webcam shot of Target Field, which not only clearly shows that they have completed installation of the grass since I was there yesterday, but also gives you a sort of overview and "lay of the land" to compare to the shots I took.

First point: The place is STUNNING. I'll be brutally honest and say that most of us really don't equate the Twins with any kind of extravagance, as they are one of the most fiscally conservative (also read as "penny pinching") teams in the game, but the attention to detail, the materials used, and all of the truly unique features they've come up with for this place are just perfect. From the Minnesota limestone that is everywhere, to the fact the wide concourses were designed to be warming spots on cold spring or fall days, to the new plaza that will greet fans coming into the stadium from the parking areas near Target Center (the Timberwolves arena that sits next door) it looks like they thought of everything...

Also, after watching the construction for the last year or so on the webcam, I was not prepared for how huge the place feels when you're inside. I think it's because its overall footprint is so tight (it sits on barely two square blocks) and the grandstands, therefore, rise pretty much straight up from the field. It seems to visually engulf you when you're inside. I've heard the lower level seats with be the closest to the action of any park in the big leagues, and there's very little foul territory.

We strolled in, walking by scaffolds where sparks were raining down from welders doing their work, and found our way to the main level concourse, where hundreds of workers were sealing the floor and finishing out a myriad of projects. Everywhere you looked, there were workers busily attacking whatever assignment they'd been given for that day, and my first thought immediately clanged in my head... How do you manage all this? Thousands of workers, all completely focused and busy working on things ranging from bolting seats in, to grooming the new field, finishing out concession stands, doing electrical work, adding hand rails, you name it. What an enormous management project this is... It boggled my mind.

And I smiled when I saw all those men and women working. Well over a thousand construction jobs are involved here, for far more than a year, and those jobs are all putting food on the table in so many households. In times like these, it's great to see. And we all know how much money is generated for businesses throughout the city when the Twins play 81 home games in downtown. To be brutally frank, had the Twins and Hennepin County not gotten together to partner on this new ballpark, it would've meant the Twins would have been stuck in the Metrodome, it's highly unlikely the team would be here for more than a few more years if they couldn't get out of that place.

I wanted to actually sit in our new season ticket seats, but section
103 is complete and it looks like once they finish a section they rope it off. Since we were trying to blend in and not draw attention to ourselves, climbing over ropes or going where the signs said "No Entry" was out of the question. Still, I could get close, and I was thrilled with the view from where we'll sit.

We went from the right field corner over to the left field corner, where the stack of suites they are building is topped with the ultra- cool Budweiser rooftop party deck, complete with fire pit, a bar, and a couple of rows of bleacher seats. Everything looked terrific, and I really appreciated this rare chance to get in there and check it all out, eight months before it opens next April...

After about 90 minutes, we worked our way back through the maze of scaffolding and workers, and after a fun chat about all things drag racing ( as my host called it "Questions I've wanted to ask for 20
years...") I headed home, still excited about what I'd been able to see.... I hope you enjoy the pics.

Now, on to my second new never-before-attempted theme...

I was messing around on Google Maps and Google Earth the other day, to get those pics of Indy I used on the last blog, and a fun thought struck me. Why not find some famous locations, landmarks, or other places and put them in a photo gallery, just so all of you can test
your own geographic knowledge? Satellite pics can be a little
confusing sometimes, because they show famous places from a perspective almost none of us are familiar with, down here on the ground. For instance, everyone knows what the St. Louis skyline looks like, with the Gateway Arch towering over the riverfront. But, if you look at downtown St. Louis from above the Arch disappears, because it's such a skinny monument. Same thing with the Washington Monument in D.C. The only way to spot them is to see their shadows cast on the ground.

I'll have to give you a hint about the first one, just to get you started, but then you're on your own. Mind you, this is not a contest, nor are there any prizes for figuring out a certain percentage of the images. It's just for fun, to help us bide our time waiting for Indy next week, so there's no need to send me your answers, although if you have any questions I'll try to reply to your email as fast as I can this weekend...

Okay, back to that hint about the first one... It is the site of something very famous, which happened 40 years ago. After more than three decades of blending into total anonymity as an unmarked location out in the country, it now has been developed as a full-time arts center and concert venue...

Best of luck! There are sports facilities, cities, landmarks, famous buildings, and natural wonders of the world included...

I'll post all the answers in the next blog... And again, Barbara and I do have some plans for the weekend, but if you get stumped or have any questions, I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can...

If you think you've got each and every one of them nailed, and feel confident about your answers, what the heck, go ahead and send me your list. I'll be surprised if anyone can get them all...

Have fun, and have a great weekend!

Wilber, out!