I couldn’t even begin to guess how many times I’ve passed by on my way to other destinations, somehow reasoning that good anchorages can’t be so close to home. The truth is, though, that an often overlooked little gem lies just a stones throw from Anacortes.
Saddlebag Island is a Washington State Marine Park, adjacent to the east end of the Guemes Channel near Anacortes. With an open schedule and a decent weather forecast, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for an overnight trip close by.
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We are now nearly through the second week of MOVEMBER. Even though the moustache growing is less than stellar at this point, my spirits remain high and plenty of positive energy is channeled to my upper lip.
As mentioned in my previous post, with accompanying video, this is my seventh year participating in Movember. This year, with a new-found hobby of creating videos, I wanted to take the opportunity to use the platform to work toward the Movember Foundation’s mission of raising funds and awareness for the issues that affect men’s health.
So, today I take you along with me on a walk at Rosario Beach – a beautiful location not far from where I live. It’s part of the Deception Pass State Park, and a great setting to talk about… Prostate Cancer.
Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer in men, behind skin cancer. It affects one in seven men and claims the lives of thirty-five men every hour, worldwide. It’s successfully treatable, if detected early, but often men don’t experience symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Often, early signs are found on routine physical examinations or through PSA blood tests.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer occurs when some cells within the prostate gland reproduce more rapidly than normal, and a tumor forms. The prostate is a glad located immediately below the bladder in men, with the purpose of producing a fluid that enriches and protects sperm. If prostate cancer is left undetected, it will often spread to other areas of the body – most often bone and lymph nodes – in a process called metastasis.
Risk factors include age, family history, and race. Older men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Men with fathers and brothers with history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to be diagnosed. Men of color have a higher prevalence of prostate cancer.
The Movember Foundation is working on global scale to reduce deaths from prostate cancer by funding research to improve detection and treatment, and to help men make informed decisions if the need arises.
Let’s go for a walk.
For more information, please check out the Movember Foundation, to learn more about prostate cancer and other issues that affect men’s health. If you’d like, please consider making a donation to help support the work that the Movember Foundation does to change the face of men’s health.
It’s the first day of Movember, the month formerly known as November. The month when men all over the world grow creepy mustaches to raise awareness – and money – for causes that seek to keep men from dying too young.
Today I do my official Movember manscaping, as I begin the month clean shaven and grow a mustache for the next thirty days.
Since 2003, the Movember Foundation has been on the only global charity with the sole focus of tackling issues affecting men’s health. Mo-Bros and Mo-Sistas have helped raise over $710 million and funded 1,200 breakthrough men’s health projects in 21 countries for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention, while positively challenging the way in which men’s health issues are addressed.
Men are dying too young, and the rates of these casualties are staggering:
Prostate Cancer: In the U.S., prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States. Statistics show that 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Testicular Cancer: Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men aged 15-34. And, unfortunately, the rate of men diagnosed with testicular cancer has doubled in the last 50 years. About 8,720 new cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed in men each year.
Mental Health: Untreated mental health conditions can carry a high risk for suicide among men. More than three times as many men as women die by suicide in the U.S. And on average 87 men each day take their life by suicide.
For more information check out, check the Movember Foundation, where you can learn more about the work they do and how you can help!
It’s October, and we’ve officially entered what is unofficially the “off season”. Given a few days of beautiful weather with nothing on the calendar, I decided to get away – even if only for an overnighter.
I keep Jolly Mon pretty well-stocked and ready to go throughout the year, so preparation for a quick trip is minimal if the opportunity arises. I grabbed a change of clothes, a few groceries and was under way with little delay. I didn’t have a destination set, but had a few in mind close to home.
I settled on James Island, someplace I hadn’t been for several years, but I’m very familiar with, having spent many family boating weekends there as a kid.
Check out the video below for my autumn visit to James Island.
I hope you enjoy my videos. I continue to learn more with each and every one, and hope to create a winter cruising series! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to keep up to date.
For the past several years, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy cruising the Gulf Islands in the “late” season, as summer turns to autumn. I generally tack on a little time after the annual Canadian Tollycruisers Rendezvous, and if time and weather allow I head toward one of my favorites this time of year: Tod Inlet. I qualify that with this time of year, as even though it’s beautiful throughout the year, during the peak summer season – especially on weekends – Tod Inlet, like other popular destinations can be quite crowded.
The final video from my Summer Cruising Series is from my recent visit to Tod Inlet, with a side trip that I enjoy while I’m there. I hope you’ve enjoyed my videos from this summer!
