gato, Slybeard and birdbeard - thanks for the welcome! Looking forward to re-engaging in the community here. gato, my mustache is one of the better elements of my whiskers, so I will definitely let it roll. birdbeard, I plan on leaving the neck line alone until I get the beard as fully established as last time, then I'll decide whether to shape it up like one of the pics, or just let it go even longer this time.