I have it from Gillian, who has it from Meg “it’s National De-lurking Week!”, who has it from Sheryl who has a Typepad blog and so at this particular time in cyberspace is not visible, that is it time for lurkers to lean just far enough around the corner for us to hear their cheeky little snickers.
Soooo…. De-Lurk!
I am trying a new thing. I am blogging from my bedroom. It is the same but softer and my schnauzer is warming my toes. Can you believe the below freezing temperatures? I had a business associate call me from Newfoundland call to brag about his weather. NEWFOUNDLAND!
Mary and Joseph.
And as for you all… come out, come out, where ever you are!
Subscribers Hear Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds of Silence Whenever Someone Calls Them… Artist Jonathon Keats Offers Silent Ringtone Free-of-Charge Through Leading Mobile Content Provider Start Mobile… Silence May Go Platinum in 2007…
JANUARY 5, 2007 - Since the beginning of time, pure silence has been available only in the vacuum of space. Now conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has digitally generated a span of silence, four minutes and thirty-three seconds in length, portable enough to be carried on a cellphone. His silent ringtone, freely distributed through special arrangement with Start Mobile, is expected to bring quiet to the lives of millions of cellphone users, as well as those close to them.
Ha! Now this is as self serving as it gets. During the last post in this series I wrote about Gillianic Tendencies. I considered making this entry about one of the Blogs I actually read frequently as the next entry in my series of Blogs-I-Read. Instead I will crassly refer only to some other websites I author my self.
Dickinson Marine is my employer and they make marine appliances. At Dickinson Diesel, I write posts containing corporate events, technical data and other information useful to the customers of our stoves and heaters. I like writing here because I know the posts are useful and I get to use my own voice a little. As it is my occupation, I will not give any additional detail.
In addition to this boat-related website, I have started Slocum’s Locker. This site is my first attempt at a productive blog where I use my skills and contacts in the marine industry to provide niche content on a website soon to host sponsored links and advertising. Just content at the moment though. No ads. Joshua Slocum was a famous navigator and author during the turn of the last century. He was the first man to sail around the world alone and he wrote the groundbreaking book. Sailing Around the World Alone, now part of the navigator’s canon. The site is to look like some of the blogs I will write about in the next Blogs-I-Read post.
I know, your may think “He just wants us to link to the sites to bump up his traffic.” Um… Yeah! Link away!
Well to my surprise, the post on this website to gain the most comments and readership has been that of the Grizzly Truck, a made in British Columbia Monster of a vehicle still to be seen in small numbers around the western half of the continent. With the help of photos from another site Grizzly Info and linking to the only other blog post on the Grizzly I could find (helpful in the comments section) I have made here a collection of all of the photos and information so far gained by having the post up on Willbop for the last year. I have not included comments from the other blog site but you can go ahead and link there to see them. Some are repeats from here.
We have learned the various places the trucks may have been built, the names of some of the participats (and the Grizzly fate of the business and one of its owners). We have also learned that there is some substantial demand for these trucks and the technical drawings, machine tools, fabricator programs and manufacturing documents that were used to make them. Any one holding on to something from the production days that needs to make a little cash? Post a comment here and you may find a buyer.
Here are the clue comments so far:
Comment by Zac |
2006-05-08 04:47:43
Rumour has it that the Grizzlies are being made in Campbell River on Vancouver Island now. Just word on the street.
Comment by Jim M |
2006-05-10 11:42:56
I worked for the Grizzly Truck Company during its final days. As far as I know it was bought by a company in Arizona and all the assets of the company were moved there. Whether or not they are still in business I do not know.
Comment by Jim M 2006-05-10 12:05:02
An addendum to my last post. I do know that the owner of the defunct Grizzly Trucks started another company called Blue Grizzly Truck and Equipment Ltd. and the owner is Geoff Buck.
Comment by roy |
2006-06-09 12:44:27
well - the company went broke when the US imposed embargos on Iran in the 80’s(?) - only a few left running …. too bad as they are a real truck (a’int no damn H2) and buddy had a real vision.
Comment by Jim |
2006-12-09 09:56:30
Sorry Roy. The Yanks had nothing to do with it.
Much as we like to blame our neighbours to the south, it was just business problems. Did you see any large logging companies here buying them? Didn’t think so.
Comment by Bruce |
2006-06-16 12:05:36
The company went broke in New West and the owner hung himself in the shop. Not nice. (97)
Comment by John Welch |
2006-08-07 07:08:23
I worked with this company in the early 90’s for specification applications of low speed cruise control. The truck features a Cummins heavy truck engine and all mechanical components are designed to be field interchangeable with logging industry equipment parts and fittings already on site where you are working. I still have some books on the trucks. The owner wanted to make a truck that could survive the logging industry conditions. It is the most heavy duty vehicle for off road ever built so far and simple to repair.
Comment by Lonewolf |
2006-10-16 16:26:50
In the summer of 96 I had the opportunity to see the small plant in New Westminister BC and to meet the owner and spent time talking about buying one in the future. He let me take pics of his truck and a truck being built. Later when I was in town again I called to talk to him sadly though, I was told he had been killed in an industrial accident a few days earlier and the furture of company was uncertain.
I still have the truck booklet that I requested showing the many body and drive train versions to meet ones specific requirements. This truck is awesome and still my first chocie. I’m not able to find any info on the company and would like to know if it is still being built and if they have a Web Site.
Comment by Cory |
2006-11-01 03:08:08 I have seen these truck in Fort St. John BC. Canada. They were used in The oil patch, I do know that there were at least 3 in town in the time frame of 92 - 95. These trucks were very impressive very heavy. I never had a chance to work on one, but I do know they were built like tanks. They make the H1 look like a tin can. I do think I know who owned one in Fort St. John so I will make some calls and find out if they are still around. I will post again if I find one.
Comment by Mike |
2006-11-10 06:18:46
There was two of them around Comox on Vancouver Island when I was there in the early 90’s. There was an enclosed type as the picture above and a Pickup model I believe in red. Amazing truck. There are several logging companies on the island so I assumed they belong to some of them.
Comment by Allan Crawford |
2006-11-19 19:56:08
I would like to buy on if ever anyone sees one for sale. I run a company in Whsitler Called Canadian Snowmobile Adventures. My number is 604-932-8809
Thanks
Comment by Rohi |
2006-11-26 01:55:38
I saw one 3 nights ago on Granville Street at 70th in Vancouver. My initial reaction was that it was one of my designs which I worked on several years ago. However, when it passed me, I realized that this machine was a simple design compared to the more aggressive and classy looking machine which I have drawn…..However, the Grizzly is an awesome beast though.
I have been thinking for a few years to build a true Canadian SUV,…… put the Hummer 1, 2 and 3 to shame…. If I see the Grizzly again I will try to take some pictures.
Emerging Reports indicate that a large tear has developed in the roof of the cloth domed BC Place Stadium in Vancouver (home of the BC Lions Football Team and several annual expos and events). No injuries have been reported.
Here is a photo of the stadium on a normal day and in better health. I wonder if they will have it fixed before the boatshow! (Feb 7-11 2007). Hundreds of vendors will be waiting to hear if this will postpone or cancel the show and this is the second time in three years theshow has been threatned. A labour strile two years ago almost scuttled the 2005 show.
The domed roof of B.C. Place Stadium collapsed with a loud bang on Friday afternoon and is completely flat.
Two City of Vancouver workers told CBC News that there appeared to have been a hole in the roof.
They said they heard some flapping, followed by what sounded like an explosion.
They said they believe the whole internal roof support structure may be gone.
Former CBC journalist Kathryn Gretsinger said the deflated dome was the “strangest sight ever” as she travelled into downtown Vancouver over the Cambie Bridge.
She said there was only a circular rim of concrete visible when looking up from outside.
Here is a more dramatic shot of the flacid facility:
I will start my series on blogs that I read with a shout out to a long time favorite website: Gillianic Tendencies. This is a classic personal web-log authored by the laugh-tastic Gillian Gunson of British Columbia. Through the years (since Aug 2004) This site has shown the sarcastic humour and is truly, as the it claims to be “The cyber-representation of Gillian Gunson”.
With posts on office sillyness, fantastic photography, relationship drama and supporting local charity efforts, there is always something hilarious to read. While the running theme of “Friday Cat Blogging” often dont have me in feline fits of hysterics, I have overpopulated my world with schnauzer related posts so I can just be pleased in the posts on keeping Gillian from going from Friday Cat Blogging to the Cat Lady Blogger. As the included global readership chart suggests, I am not alone in reading Gunson’s posts regularly.
Or how I learned to suck it up and write something for my web-log after being lazy and overwhelmed with other things.
Firstly dear reader, we are proud and excited to announce the future arrival of a new member of our family. That’s right! A new baby is my first news of the new year! Briana and I are due to welcome our new squirmie on May 15th and we are deep into the traditional pursuits of determining baby names, finding neat modern parenthood gadgets (we simply must have if we want to hang out with the cool moms ad dads) and worrying about the myriad or controversial mommy-baby health topics (where some one is almost always compared to Hitler predictably). Boy , girl, we don’t know and the white coats won’t tell us (no matter how much we try to stick it to the MAN) but whatever baby chooses for its birthday suit, this is the perfect time for us to add to our family and Briana and I could not be happier.
This Christmas and for the first time, Briana and I hosted the season’s festivities. With lots of help from family and friends we had a great time over five days of revolving door visitors, dinner parties and house guests. I just loved it and I learned (thanks mom) how to make a killer turkey and awesome gravy. As for seasonal swag, I scored an awesome black coat as a gift from Briana. Its funny! We both got each other pajamas, a coat, and kitchen gadgets.
While I have not been blogging myself to any meaningful extent, I have been fluttering around the bloggosphere like a geeky butterfly getting to know other blogs and enjoying old favorites. This activity is a lot of fun for me and responsible for countless hours of inactivity and over use of the scroll wheel on my mouse. On this subject, I announce a new series on Willbop: Wherin I review some blogs I am reading and what I like and don’t and other bloggie stuff.
I have seen these truck in Fort St. John BC. Canada. They were used in The oil patch, I do know that there were at least 3 in town in the time frame of 92 - 95. These trucks were very impressive very heavy. I never had a chance to work on one, but I do know they were built like tanks. They make the H1 look like a tin can. I do think I know who owned one in Fort St. John so I will make some calls and find out if they are still around. I will post again if I find one.
