In the last half of the 1970’s, I sported a full beard.  It was almost as curly underneath as it was on top.

Fortunately, in those days, people who looked like this could board an airline most of the time without any hassle.  Being hijacked to Cuba was the biggest problem then.

Anyway, our daughter was born in 1979, so for the first four years of her life, this was the face she saw on her dad.

When I took a self-portrait with a Polaroid, in the mirror on the bathroom wall at 2:00 AM, this is how it came out.

Then one day when she was about 4 years old, I decided that the emerging gray hairs in the beard were becoming a detriment, not an advantage.  Previously, I used to enjoy the benefit of being taken seriously because the beard made me look more mature.  Now it was starting to make me “old”.

So that morning I decided to shave off the beard, with my girl watching the event.  I recently discovered the old photos of the process, so here they are — as the young, 43-year old dude emerges from the bush.