Translate

Friday, November 23, 2007

Photo Hunt: Hot


The photohunt theme today is hot. I celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday with a good hot meal for dinner, with Bill who cooked a wonderful feast. I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday had a happy one. For that matter I hope everyone had a happy Thursday whether or not Thanksgiving is a holiday where they are from. I am featuring the hot sun at the beach for my post. The photograph below was taken during the summer at a North Carolina beach on a hot day. If you look on the right hand side of the picture, you will note someone walking in the ocean to cool off their feet after walking on the hot sand. On the left hand side of the picture you will note a sensible bunch under an umbrella to protect their skin from the hot sun.The picture above was taken in Key West, FL. One of the beautiful times to be outside in Key West is when you can watch the hot sun fall into the ocean. I love the ocean at the beach as well as the sand beneath my toes. I don't hide from the sun but I also think there are sensible precautions which can be taken when I am out in the hot sun. I am going to put the links to other photohunters here: - is the home of the hunt, and you can also find other participants on Technorati -

Please feel free to skip the rest of this post if you so desire. I totally understand and that's why I put the photohunt links above as well as at the bottom of this post. I get pretty serious for the remainder of this hot post and discuss a serious cancer, melanoma, which has links to the hot sun in some cases. I debated about including the rest of this post but since I am including information about sensible precautions people can take when enjoying the hot sun, I thought some of the photohunters might be interested. Excessive exposure to the hot sun is a contributory factor, in some cases, to people getting melanoma. You can click on the underlined part of the text to go to my source, if you want additional information.

Melanoma occurs when something goes awry in the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) that give color to your skin. Just what damages DNA in skin cells a
nd how this leads to melanoma is a matter of intense study. Cancer is a complex disease that often results from a combination of factors, including environmental and genetic factors, rather than from a single cause. Still, excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a leading factor in the development of melanoma, whether the radiation is from the sun or from tanning lamps and beds.

Some people get melanoma from other causes besides the hot sun.
UV light doesn't cause all melanomas, especially those that occur in places on your body that d
on't receive exposure to sunlight. This indicates that other factors may contribute to your risk of melanoma.

Some other factors which may contribute to melanoma include: atypical mole syndrome, family history of melanoma, weakened immune system, rare genetic disorder.

Some basic precautions you can take in the hot sun include protective clothing, sunscreen, going inside during the hottest time of the day. To find out about some steps you can take to lower your risk of getting melanoma go here. Also, be sure to report any changes in cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions (moles, bumps, lumps, etc.), or new ones, to your doctor. I have stage III melanoma which means that my melanoma spread to a regional site. In my case I had a cutaneous primary which spread to a node in the closest major draining lymph node basin. I have been NED (no evidence of disease) since my groin lymph node dissection. I don't know if the hot sun was a factor in my getting melanoma. I have never been to a tanning salon and my primary melanoma was on a part of my body which was rarely exposed to the sun. However, I have gotten to know a lot of people with melanoma who spent time in tanning salons and got many sun burns. They are typical of the type of history which would lead you to think the UV rays were a leading factor in their melanoma.The good news is that if melanoma is caught early, most people have an excellent prognosis. It is still necessary to have regular follow-up but the sooner a melanoma is caught the better the chances that the person will not have a recurrence. The bad news is that when it is not caught early, the chances of it spreading are higher. Once melanoma start spreading, it can go pretty much anywhere and in some cases cause death. I had a deep melanoma primary and, as I said, it had spread to a node. The good news with me is the longer I go without a recurrence, the better my prognosis becomes. In March of 2008, I will have been NED for 3 years. I look forward to celebrating 3 years without a recurrence, in less than four months. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that it has been that long because I've had some scares, funky scans, funky blood work, and lingering side effects. However, I am enormously thankful that it is beginning to look much better for me in terms of the chances that I'm done with active cancer.






76 comments:

Liz said...

Lovely Photos! I love going to the beach too. Happy photo hunting :)

Liz said...

I have another entry at this site, please drop by and comment :)

MaR said...

I must admit I avoid the beach when it is hot...
Thanks for your informative post, Carver! I live in a sunny place and I can't believe how careless people are about this issue.
Have a lovely weekend. Love your new avatar.
:D

Anonymous said...

Hi Carver, Oh for a hot day by the beach as the cold November wind doth blow in rural England!
You provide such useful information and good precautions. thanks.
Sara from farmingfirends

J o a N said...

I envy you for your sunny weather there! Summer is over here in the Philippines.. :(

Susan Demeter said...

Beautiful photos! I am a beach bum at heart, but always worry about melanoma because my uncle had it. Congratulations on almost three years! Thank you as well for posting important info on it.

jams o donnell said...

Great post. Not only are the photos wonderful but it is a very serious message. I am not a sun lover, mercifully. Happy weekend

Anonymous said...

hi carver,
how are you today?
Lovely photos you have here. One of my fellow blogger was diagnosed with melanoma yesterday. I shall refer her to your blog. Perhaps she could learn something from you.

Kate said...

ooooh... that water looks WONDERFUL. I'd love a hot day at the beach. Even here in the desert it's FREEZING today!

http://radula.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/photohunt-hot/

Anonymous said...

wonderful hot choice for today's theme. I wish I were in beach right now.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos and great reminder about the effects of the sun's rays.

Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

you have capture some wonderful shots!! Have a great Saturday.

Tammie said...

Beautiful photos at beautiful beaches. Can't go wrong with that.

Corey~living and loving said...

great idea for the theme. :)
happy weekend!

SabineM said...

Lovely photos. Makes me want to visit even more!
I also love your new profile photo! Though I miss the old photo (I always loved that photo of you)
Thank you for the informative post!
I just added Mister Linky. I had to post using my iphone and it was just too hard to add Mister linky, I just did it, if you want to add yourself! ;-) One more day here at my brother's.. really enjoying my niece!

maiylah said...

lovely shots, and thank you so much for the information! appreciat it! :)

happy weekend!
My PhotoHunt post

Anonymous said...

Great photos of the hot sandy beaches!! Have a wonderful weekend.

Anonymous said...

how'd i wish to be by the beach right now :P

great take on this week's theme ;)

on the Rock said...

Oooh, I can't believe I have to wait another five months again to enjoy hot weather again.

Anonymous said...

what lovely beach shots! I had a former classmate who took her graduate studies at NCSU ... she enjoyed going to the beach, too.

thank you for the additional info ... appreciate it much! glad to know that things are getting much better for you!:)
happy weekend!

Melli said...

Sun Screen AND umbrellas! Yea man!

Anonymous said...

OH, yes. We love beaches and the sun, but are always taking it very easy. Mr L has "difficult skin type" so he is always covering himself. Not that we have that agressive sun here in Sweden either...

Great to hear that everything is going well for you :-)

Anonymous said...

I like the first photo. :)

maryt/theteach said...

Great post! Lots of good info on melanoma. Very helpful!

Thanks for commenting on my PH post! :)

YTSL said...

Great photos and thanks much for the info.

Anonymous said...

Excellent hot post. Made us wish for summer!

jmb said...

Hi Carver, great photos. Reminds me of my youth in Australia. Good for you warning them of the dangers of the sun.

Queen of My Domain said...

I love your hot beach shots. Especially since it's been so cold here today. Great choices and great chance to inform us all.

Sarge Charlie said...

that sure looks hot to me

CRIZ LAI said...

Cool shots or should I say hot shots? Haha. Nice entry Carver. Love the information too. Happy weekend :)

Lynn said...

I like that picture from Key West! Perfect.

Valarie said...

Great, great photos!! When we moved close to the beach I was amazed at how hot the sand got! Hope you have a great weekend!

JC said...

Great photo's and great reminders for sun safety.

Colin Campbell said...

Melanoma is a very big deal here in Australia. We have to take great care with our kids. The awareness is very high. I know two people my age, who are having melanomas removed on a regular basis after a childhood of unprotected sun.

When we were in California, my wife noted that the awareness was very low.

It is a real ticking timebomb. Thanks for showcasing that information.

etteY said...

lovely photos as always! :D

happy weekend!

Anonymous said...

Awesome photos! I love Key West! Thanks for your informative post. Happy weeekend!

Anonymous said...

Very pretty scenery in your photos. I can almost feel the heat
bouncing off the page.

Take care,
Connie

Wilson said...

OMG!... What a great photos you got here!... Love all those sunsets... Pretty amazing photos!... Thanks for dropping by mine... You can see my other entries here...

WilStop
Dare to Blog
Life Realities

Have a nice day!...c",)

eastcoastlife said...

I live near the beach and every day I see people suntanning without protection.

I live in Singapore where it is summer all year round. You see the hot sun most days of the year and temperature is an average 33 degree Celsius. I take precaution. Thanks for the reminder.

Happy weekend!

Anonymous said...

it is oso a gene thingy..in my community where most ppl r tanned naturally, the medical phenomenon that u mention doesnt seem to exist or is out of the public eye

Anonymous said...

wow thats pretty pictures i love it.

Natalie said...

Those are some beautiful photos! I'm a little scared of the sun, but I use sunscreen. I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from my eyelid almost six years ago...it was awful!

My photo hunt picture is up. Come check it out if you get a chance. :)

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Carver, I hope that you will never see a recurrence of the disease and wish you all the health and happiness in the world.

It was a great series of shots and a great post. Have a nice weekend!

ipanema said...

great photos and post...as always! :)

Anonymous said...

Great pics (love that sunset) and GREAT info!! :D

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

Beautiful photos of the beach and the sun! Thank you for the important information about melanoma. I am glad that you have been NED for several years now. My human mom burns very easily, so she avoids the sun when possible and always wears sunscreen.

My hot photo.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos and a much needed reminder of the precautions to take in the sun. Thanks you very much.

Hootin Anni said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hootin Anni said...

I stopped doing Mr. Linky since I always leave a comment anyway.

Wow...Carver, what beautiful photos!! I bet the time there was fantastic. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.

Chen said...

nice photo. i love going to the beach but normally i will go in the late evening, when it is not so hot :)

Mark said...

looking at those great photos makes me feel really cold on this wet and windy day.

Cheers Mark

Anonymous said...

Very nice photos this week! I only like the beach AFTER the sun goes down... NOT when it's so HOT!

Anonymous said...

Great hot pictures, but more important was your advice about what that HOT sun can do for you.

I always enjoyed tanning, and tanned very nicely- I was in the sun everyday in the summer when I was young and did the baby oil and tin foil routine like many other fools.

Both my sister and I were lifeguards, however she took her tanning more serious than me, and I saw her face begin to age- that is when I stopped tanning.

When I moved to CA, one of the teachers at our school had a bad case of skin cancer (which he got from a bad burn in Hawaii). He had many sores, and was going to the doctor about weekly.

That was all I needed (although I am still out in the sun daily), I am a fanatic about my sunscreen and hat-

So don't apologize for your story, for if it can help one person it did it's job!

Anonymous said...

It makes me hot to look at them! :)

I appreciate the warnings.

tanabata said...

Lovely photos! Congratulations on your almost 3 year anniversary of being NED.

PowersTwinB said...

Great informative entry! Thanks for sharing all this info! Love the photos, thanks for visiting my hunt

Anonymous said...

Wonderful pictures. I really like the Key West photo.

Carver said...

Thanks so much to everyone for visiting and commenting. I appreciated your thoughts and comments very much.

Charlotte atb@lifesacharm.net said...

great photos!

i have never met anyone with melanoma! i hope you stay NED! take care and don't get too HOT in the sun!

Siani said...

Great pics for this week's theme. I hope people heed your advice, because the sun can be so dangerous. As a fair-skinned redhead, I cover up as much as I can in sunny weather, and always use a total sunblock on my exposed bits. I hope you remain in that 'no evidence of disease' state permanently - take care and have a lovely weekend.

My HOT pics are up at Siani's Pot-Pourri.

Heart of Rachel said...

Lovely photos of the beach. I'm daydreaming of the beach on summer. :) Thanks for visiting.

Anonymous said...

What great photos! I didn't get any spectacular photos of Key West when I was there, but you definitely can see the growth down near the point, with Home Depot, Walmarts, Walgreens, etc. Have a good weekend.

Katya said...

Carver, wonderful, wonderful photos for the theme, and a great reminder about the sun and the damage it can cause!

Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

That's a very sensible and informative post - with gorgeous photos as usual! I must admit I used to adore the sun and the suntan that goes with it, but in recent years I've been much, much more careful...

Happy Weekend! :)

Joyismygoal said...

I SO SO want to be there

Heather said...

Hmmm--I got sidetracked earlier when I stopped by to comment. Thought I did and I forgot. :)

My grandfather and dad both had melanoma after years of working out in the sun and tanning very dark sans sunscreen.

These are great photos.

Everyday Healy said...

All of them are great shots. Here in Malaysia, everywhere is so hot, not only on the beach. :)

Looks like you have a great thanksgiving too! :)

Carver said...

Thanks again to everyone for visiting.

I'm sorry your father and grandfather had to deal with melanoma Heather.

Little polaris I'm sorry your blogger friend was recently diagnosed and please do tell her to feel free to be in touch with me if she wants to.

**"Liza"** said...

ohhh thats is one nice hot summer! ohhh beach one of the most favorite places ever!..mine is up too..take a peak if you have time.. ;)

PastormacsAnn said...

Great photos for The Hunt and thanks for the helpful info.

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures. All of them are indeed HOT (= Thanks for sharing them
Have fun!

Andree said...

That's quite a post, and I'm glad you wrote it. I look like a mummy at the beach, all wrapped up head to toe. It's so much work to go to the beach! Excellent post.

shiera said...

Great photos... especially the sunset photos!

Anonymous said...

Great pics! I usually don't go shopping on Black Friday but I did this time and I was home by noon!

Diane Dehler said...

Hi Carver,
Thanks for stopping by my blog to visit. I appreciate the safety tips in relationship to sun exposure. People do need to be careful.

Anonymous said...

Well said.