Well, gents, it's been an interesting summer.  Since the competition in June I've just let my beard and scalp hair go untrimmed, as much out of laziness as anything.  I've had no reason to drive to Portland so why book a barber appointment?  The ring of hair that encircles the lower half of my skull (there's but a whisp or two on the top) is now fully 1.5 inches long and as curly as it ever was.  It's also now almost entirely grey!  I need to take my car to Portland tomorrow, so I've made an appointment with Cory to figure out that to do with it.  My wife's ambivalent (I asked), so I'll probably just go back to the #4 buzz I've worn for over a decade.  This is one case, though, where I'll leave it up to him.

The beard, though, is another matter entirely.  In June I had him trim it back (slightly) so that it was clearly less than 12 inches for the contest.  Since then there's been no trimming and, based on the comments from one judge who wore a stunner of a long beard, there will be none in the foreseeable future.  What's shocked me is that, since then, my beard appears to have grown at least 2 inches!  I'm now at more than 14 inches and back then I thought I was near terminal length.  Did I hit a growth spurt or did I hit another 'drop' or was it a combination thereof?  No matter.  I'm letting it grow.

What's been particularly interesting is that these few additional inches, and the general increase in bulk, have posed some real challenges as far as living with it goes.  I always have to worry about where my beard is now.  I hold it back when I eat to keep it out of my plate, I tuck it into my apron when I cook to keep it from going up in flames, I tie it up when I exercise to keep it from getting caught in things, I can't see my belt to buckle it any more, I button shirts from the bottom-up to keep the beard from getting caught, I have to braid it when I go to bed to reduce the likelihood of me or my wife from lying on it, and, finally, no matter what, I have to check my beard for debris regardless of the activity - pollen and prickles from gardening, a multitude of food remnants when cooking, or dust bunnies when cleaning.  Odd as it may sound, though, I've never been happier with my beard and I can easily see why some men choose to wear them at, yes, seemingly absurd lengths.  Forget the whole nature argument that it's there and the genetic effects of cutting it could not have occurred in a sub-evolutionary time frame.  For me, at least, having this beard seems perfectly natural and the minor adjustments are just part of life.  I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of my beard sweeping across my chest, letting it blow around in the wind, and having my wife stroke it.  It's become a part of me that I just can't envision not having now.  

Here are a couple of pictures that, I think, even though it's tied up, show just how much volume and length I've gained this summer.  Both were taken within a couple days of one another and, yes, the shirt was washed between photos

Modeling a Scotch bonnet that my wife knit and felted for me.  It's bit too dense.  I'd have to move to gato's neck of the woods to ever experience temperatures cold enough for it to be comfortable!

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Having lunch today at my favorite Portland charcuter, Olympia Provisions.  The tie does a fine job of keeping the beard out of my lunch in public

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So, here I am, almost 33 months into this bearding adventure wearing a wad of fur on my chin that verges on preposterouness and loving every damn second of it.  As I've said elsewhere, and I mean wholeheartedly, every man gets to decide how, or even whether, to wear his beard and there's no wrong decision there and, right now, wearing this beard makes me a very happy man indeed.

Cheers!
Tom


Some helpful links:
Library Central of Beard Growing


Taming the Wild Mustache
Tips for eating and drinking with a big mustache

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~ W. Somerset Maugham
A jerk with a beard is just a bearded jerk, but a bearded gentleman is awesomeness personified. ~ Triibeard
Last Edited By: Tom E Sep 11 15 7:47 AM. Edited 3 times.