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For many decades various models of ‘ZiL‘ tracks (‘ZiL‘ is an acronym for ‘Zavod Imeni Likhacheva‘ - ‘The production plant named after Likhachev’) were dominant on the market… Oh, wait a minute.. What am I talking about?! - there was NO MARKET in the Soviet Union whatsoever.. OK, let’s put it that way: ‘they represented the most common type of the middle capacity truck in the country’s transportation industry‘, - how about that?

And of course, the mentioned Mr. Likhachev never was the plant’s OWNER

On this picture is shown one particular variant of a large track family originated from a core line prototype dubbed ‘ZiL-130′. Numerous modifications were built for utilizing a number of jobs, and with no doubt for very long they served a sort of ‘workhorse role’ for the industry. So, pictured here is a ’sedelnyi tyagach’, or a ‘trailer tractor’, and it was mainly used to haul a variety of long-sized loads, such as logs, poles, long concrete construction elements. My dad drove this track for a number of years. Before driving this one he worked on a few models of dump trucks, and all of them were of  a ‘ZiL’ make. I can assume, that after having had so many years of driving experience on various models of ZiLs, he eventually became an ‘expert of this trade’

You may believe it, or not, but I saw the same vehicle just… less than a week ago. It was in Santa Clara, Cuba, where we were flying to on the charter from Halifax.

It’s funny, - a little bit of ’spying’ needed in order to get this picture! The Cuban security guys weren’t sensitive enough when I asked them to turn to my mode, and let me go over that part of tarmac and rejoice with a subject of my ‘nostalgia’

P.S.

A more recent picture, taken in 2008, - again, in Cuba. This time there were no trouble with security whatsoever! Oh, those ‘unpredictable Cubans.. Got in ‘full contact with the past’…

I’ve just come back home from another 5-day pairing. A very special, very ‘cosy’ one, for I took my wife Victoria with me:)

As we stayed three nights in the row at one place, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and there wasn’t much flying out there in these days (in fact, we flew only a ‘pink eye’ charter to Cuba, and that was it), it created a nice opportunity to explore the area.

Which we did, and I’m going to post some interesting stuff from this 2.25Gb depository of images taken during this pairing.

On April 29th we rented a car and went for a journey down the ‘Lighthouse Route’, a picturesque road that goes through the genuine ‘Atlantic coast landscape’ and places ‘loaded’ with history that goes back to the time the first settlers came here centuries ago.

The Canadian dime on the top picture isn’t just for a reference to the ’storage relative size’.

And you could easlily figure out what was the purpose of placing the coin into a composition.

Please do not hesitate to put your comment on it.

Welcome to the historic Nova Scotia!

I got up early this morning, and found myself to be in a good mood for an ‘inspirational’ walk ‘around the block’. Here, in the Discovery Ridge area we are lucky to have a terrific net of walking paths. Besides, a quick glance through the window assured me the weather’s going to be good. As I put my cloths on and laced the shoes up, eager for my little outing, it occurred to me: I didn’t feel to be in a need for a ritual morning bust-up, usually served by a cup of coffee! Get dressed quickly, grab your camera, - and here we go! Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not quite sure I remember who are the two guys in white shirts on the sides of this picture, but all other folks are absolutely identifiable.

Family reunions, gathering on public holidays and family occasions were quite popular. Our ‘extended family’ wasn’t an exempt. It wasn’t rare a thing that up to 50 people would get together. And HAVE FUN!

I think at that time (late 50s - late 80s) people socialized way more than they do it now in the modern Russia.

Being often asked questions by my colleagues and friends here in Canada about ‘What kind of life you had in the Soviet Union’ I’ve come to the idea of starting a respective topic, and this picture would be a nice introduction for such a ‘memoir’.

Here we are, my dad, and myself, being held on a fender of his ‘Zakhar’.

Early (’very early’:) 60s, Kazakhstan, Semipalatinsk. Wonder, what would be your comments on what you see here?

An idea of traveling to Whitecourt was enticing to me ever since I got a message from Magnat, a navigator, one of the Mil-26 helicopter crews, who advised they were going to stay there for the next couple of weeks waiting for some new contacts with mining or oil companies.

Read the rest of this entry »

The area where we live - Calgary and the vicinity, - is remarkable for its clean air. There’s no serious sources of the industrial pollution (yet), and we are open to the winds that wash away ‘exhales’ inevitably generated by the big city’s ‘breathe’.

And normally, there’s not very much humidity in the air. As a result, the air is very clear and transparent, and the sunsets are often quite spectacular. There may be a few more factors involved into creating this beauty, - a horizon line ‘jagged’ by Rockies, for example, that apparently affects the optics of the atmosphere while the sun is going down. All in all, it is a sort of unique place, the one where we live.

I think the set of these photos that I took on the night of January, 21st would make a decent slide show, and illustrate along the point of the speculation above.

So, enjoy the sunset observed on the Highway #8, just West of Calgary, on January 21, 2007.

P.S.

A few images to illustrate how clear the air normally is:

And one specifically local phenomenon deserves to be reviewed in a dedicated topic:

A spectacular aerial view of the Chinook Arch:

Just playing around with the wealth of imaginary that accumulated over a period of time since 2004.. Experimenting.

They look pretty sequenced in the slide show.

Click on images to enlarge..

A long nurtured idea of starting a blog has surfaced here and now.

“Answer the simplest question, - why?”, my ‘inner editor’ wants to know.

‘Because’..

..and, of course, ‘to be continued’.