Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Comic Book: “Le passager du Polarlys”.

Comic book: "Le passager du Polarlys"
Comic book: “Le passager du Polarlys”

The Dargaud publishing house has come up with the excellent idea of choosing some of Georges Simenon’s novels (excluding those in which Inspector Maigret takes centre stage), and converting them into comic books. They intend to use two scriptwriters in turn, as well as different illustrators, for each of the eight publications planned over the next few years.

The first of these publications is entitled “Le passager du Polarlys”. I wasn’t sure when I saw this new title in bookstores, but the name of Georges Simenon on the album convinced me to give it a try. And what a great reading experience it was. Everything is there: an interesting plot, very well-executed drawings, endearing characters and, above all, the sea with all its challenges, especially at the time when the novel was written.

We sail along the Norwegian coast, with its small villages and perilous access in heavy weather for a summarily equipped ship. The colours chosen also lend themselves well to the drama unfolding on the boat. In short, you finish reading and immediately want to pick up the story again. You won’t be disappointed.

Click on the link for other comics and graphic novels on my blog.

Title: Le passager du Polarlys

Authors: José-Louis Bocquet and Christian Cailleaux, based on the work of Georges Simenon © 1932

Edition: Dargaud Benelux (Dargaud-Lombard s. a.)

© 2023 ISBN: 978-2-5051-1223-5

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Old Quebec in Summer.

Summer 2023 in Old Quebec.
Summer 2023 in Old Quebec.

Some companies organize themed guided tours of Old Quebec at dusk in summer. The guides dress up in costume and regularly follow the same routes. With a little patience, a lantern-wielding person can be included in a photo, as well as the old stone houses and the Château Frontenac. This adds another interesting detail to the scene.

The picture above presented several challenges, some of which have been solved. Ideally, the HDR method would have provided a better control of luminosity, but the hostess holding the lantern would have disappeared in the process carried out by the Photomatix software. This person played an important role in the scene, so I decided to take just one shot, but in RAW format to optimize the sky light correction in post-processing.

I wanted to use the smallest aperture possible to get a precise focus from the foreground to the Château Frontenac. But due to the lack of adequate light and the movement of people towards the camera, I had to maintain a sufficient shutter speed, even at ISO 6400. Unfortunately, the aperture suffered a little.

So, this is a photo full of compromises, where you do the best you can with the situation and the photographic equipment available.

Click on the link for more Summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

The graphic novel « Une saison à l’ONU ».

The graphic novel: "Une saison à l'ONU"
The graphic novel: “Une saison à l’ONU”

The graphic novel “Une saison à l’ONU” (A season at the UN) makes it easy to understand the various challenges facing the UN, this necessary organization, but one that is largely hampered in its interventions.

International crises and the complexity of day-to-day political maneuvering are not lost on the author, who nevertheless chooses to adopt a light-hearted tone to keep the reader’s interest throughout the book. Funny stories, humor and confidences alternate to bring the story to life.

We all know how difficult it is for the UN to pass resolutions. There is pressure from all sides and the use of veto powers. As a North American, I hear more about the use of the veto by Russia or China than by the United States. The author puts a figure on the use of veto by all the major powers and the result is surprising.

The reader gains a better understanding of the grammatical mastery and compromises required to ensure that a note from the UN receives international approval. You have to know how to dilute and spare sensitivities if you want to be able to publish without generating too much opposition.

In short, “Une saison à l’ONU” is a graphic novel full of interesting and relevant real-life stories. The book demystifies some of the UN’s activities in New York as well as abroad.

Click on the link for more graphic novels on my blog.

Title: A Season at the UN

Author: Karim Lebhour and Aude Massot

Publisher: Steinkis

© 2022

ISBN: 978-2-36846-610-3

Categories
Photos of Quebec

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste District in Quebec City.

HDR photo of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district in Québec, June 2023.
HDR photo of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district in Québec, June 2023.

Above, a photo of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district in Quebec City, taken in June 2023. Five photos of 50.6 Megs each in RAW format and with different apertures make up this HDR scene.

After adjusting the basic HDR photo using Photomatix software, I worked with an image processing software to optimize the final result without exaggerating hue and saturation, which is not always obvious in photography today. Finally, I converted the whole thing to JPEG format for distribution.

Click on the link for more Summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

Categories
Flight Simulation

A twin-engine BE-58 lands on an aircraft carrier.

A twin engine Baron Be-58 on approach for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford
A twin engine Baron Be-58 on approach for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford

Here’s a virtual flight made on a flight simulator using Microsoft Flight Simulator software. A Beech Baron BE-58 left Key West Airport, Florida (KEYW) a few minutes ago, heading for the CVN78 USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.   

In the real world, this just isn’t done. But in flight simulation, anything goes. Above, the aircraft completes the downwind leg of its approach to the carrier.

On stabilized final with full flaps and landing gear down, the focus is on the approach angle and stall speed, which stands at 73 knots.

Beech Baron Be-58 on final for the Gerarld R. Ford aircraft carrier
Beech Baron Be-58 on final for the Gerarld R. Ford aircraft carrier

You can’t rely on a cable to stop the plane, so you need the lowest possible speed and good brakes to land it on the 333-meter bridge. Below, the Beech attracts a little curiosity as it circulates to find temporary parking.

Taxiing to park the BE-58 on the aircraft carrier
Taxiing to park the BE-58 on the aircraft carrier

The virtual pilot then parks the aircraft for the next day.

Parked for the night on the CVN78 Gerald R. Ford
Parked for the night on the CVN78 Gerald R. Ford

The next two images show the aircraft carrier facing a storm the following evening, with winds blowing at 35 knots during a thunderstorm. On deck, the first aircraft on the left is our Baron Be-58, holding its own. If the storm doesn’t blow it overboard, the military will soon!

The aircraft carrier CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford in a storm
The aircraft carrier CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford in a storm
The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford near Key West
The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford near Key West

Click on the link for other challenging virtual flights on my blog.

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Environnement toxique (Ducks)

"Environnement toxique" by Kate Beaton
“Environnement toxique” by Kate Beaton

To pay off her student debts quickly, Kate Beaton, a young Nova Scotia resident, decided in 2005 to go and work in northern Alberta for oil companies exploiting the tar sands. At the time, this trip west was popular with Canadians looking for a lucrative job. So she left the paradisiacal landscapes of Cape Breton to plunge into the world of Syncrude and Shell in Fort McMurray.  

It was then that she realized what life was like on construction sites occupied mostly by men far from their families, many of whom had behavioral problems. Wherever she found herself, she suffered harassment in the form of derogatory remarks, insults, and eventually sexual assaults.

For these workers, loneliness and survival take on a completely different meaning than for the rest of the male employees in these isolated posts.

A multi-talented storyteller and cartoonist, Kate Beaton published a graphic novel in 2023 describing her experiences. She denounces “a harsh and complex system, which exploits natural resources as coldly as it does human beings”.

“Toxic Environment” is less about the destruction of habitat caused by tar sands mining than about the toxic working environment endured by the few women working on these sites.

Time Magazine, The Guardian and The New Yorker hailed this graphic novel, which also happened to be the winner of the Canada Reads 2023 contest.  It was published in English under the title “Ducks“, probably to remember all those ducks caught in the oil that made headlines at the time.

Click on the link for other graphic novels on my blog.

Happy reading!

Title: Environnement toxique (Ducks in English)

Author: Kate Beaton

Publisher: Casterman, for the French version

ISBN: 978-2-203-24223-4 (French version)

©2023

Categories
Novels

Von Westmount

Book cover of "Von Westmount" by Jules Clara
Book cover of “Von Westmount” by Jules Clara

With so much published in a year, a reader have to take risks here and there when comes the time to buy a book. At the Salon du livre de Québec 2023, I tried my luck with a couple of books I hadn’t heard of. The one that surprised me the most was a little novel by the name of Von Westmount.

The cover design was eye-catching. When I saw the plush house and the word Westmount, I knew that a detour to the west end of Montreal would be in order. For non-Quebecers, Westmount is known as a more affluent area, where the majority of residents use the English language as a means of communication, in a predominantly French-speaking Quebec.

During the year we follow Aline, the heroine of Jules Clara, she toils away at odd jobs, living her life as best she can, until chance allows her to try her luck with a new job.

She eventually finds herself in the English-speaking milieu of Montreal’s west end, and through her, we witness the lifestyle and conversations that take place in a private residence in the town of Westmount.  Will the heroine be able to adapt quickly to her new duties and make choices in keeping with her interests and values? How will her vision of Montreal evolve, literally and figuratively?

I loved this little book right to the end. It’s worth noting that some people had trouble understanding the conclusion, a conclusion that certainly seemed to me a logical choice to include in a story of this kind.

Some people also objected to the use of the English language in some sections of the novel.  As far as I’m concerned, I think the English language had its rightful place and played an important role in the unfolding of the story. But you need to know English well, not just stammer a few words.

In short, you’ll have a great time with Von Westmount if you enjoy a bilingual book and are interested in the special dynamics between Montreal’s west and east ends.

Click on the link for other novels on my blog.

Title: Von Westmount

Author: Jules Clara

Edition : La Mèche

© 2022

ISBN : 9 782 897 071 769

Categories
Photos of Quebec

Shop on rue St-Jean in Quebec City

On the St-Jean street, the Magasin Général P L Blouin in Quebec City.
On the St-Jean street, the Magasin Général P L Blouin in Quebec City.

The photo shows a partial view of the window of Magasin Général P. L. Blouin Enr on rue St-Jean in Old Quebec. This store sells all kinds of traditional items and souvenirs in French and English, popular with tourists and locals alike. Digital image processing applied a pseudo HDR effect to bring out details and reflections.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans during Spring on my blog.

Categories
Photography Photos of Quebec

Tulips and Tourny fountain in Quebec City.

Tulips and Tourny fountain in front of the Parliament building in Quebec City in spring 2023.
Tulips and Tourny fountain in front of the Parliament building in Quebec City in spring 2023.

This photo taken in May 2023 shows the tulips planted in front of the Parliament Building in Quebec City, near the wall surrounding Old Quebec. The Tourny Fountain can be seen in the center, but it seems to suffer from inadequate water pressure. Indeed, we have seen much more spectacular water jets with this fountain.

The photo was taken using a miniature tripod and a Canon 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens mounted on a Canon 5DSr.

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in the Spring on my blog.

Categories
Renovation

Replacement of a deck on the second floor.

Replacement of a deck located on the second floor of a property.
Replacement of a deck located on the second floor of a property.

I redid the second-floor patio in April. By doing it alone, I saved $10,000. In my spare time, it took four weeks to demolish the old deck and build a new one. At the beginning of the project, there were no leaves in the trees, but a month later, in the last picture of this article, you can see the progress in the vegetation.

The fence is dismantled and the old boards and base are removed.
The fence is dismantled and the old boards and base are removed.

The first step is to remove the fence. The numbering of the panels will facilitate the reinstallation.

The old wooden base is cut into sections and discarded.
The old wooden base is cut into sections and discarded.

I also had to dismantle a swing, take down the existing patio set and other accessories. I then saw the old 2X6X12 boards in sections that could be easily handled by one person. Then I cut the floor supports into smaller pieces. All this leaves the second floor by air. Gravity takes care of the rest.

The old wood is thrown down from the second floor.
The old wood is thrown down from the second floor.

To avoid having to redo the patio for several decades, the best material is cedar rather than pine. It is necessarily more expensive to buy, but requires less maintenance and lasts much longer. The new floor supports must be built and installed putting cedar shingles here and there to ensure the stability of the new floor on a roof that is uneven, with a drain in its center.

The base that will receive the cedar planks is adjusted with cedar shingles.
The base that will receive the cedar planks is adjusted with cedar shingles.

I had to argue a bit with the owner of the Spécibois store to get the right to choose each of the new 12 feet cedar boards. But eventually, they gave me permission to sort them out. Avoiding boards with defects makes it easier to line them up and screw them down.

The cedar floor and fence sections are installed gradually.
The cedar floor and fence sections are installed gradually.

Now is the time to install the twelve-foot boards. The Camo system allows the boards to be screwed on the side, so there are no visible screws. I installed the fence sections as the work progressed. You can see that the trees now have leaves, a few weeks after the work began.

The cedar plank patio is completed.
The cedar plank patio is completed.

I created an access to the roof drain and brought back the patio set and reinstalled the swing set (not visible here). The result is a durable three hundred square foot floor that smells like cedar and, not least, savings of $10,000 when you do all the steps yourself.

Click on the link for more renovations on my blog.