Eye of the beholder

Alex's facial hair (like Alex himself??) comes and goes. He usually has at least a moustache, but sometimes he gets rid of that as well. He'll let the beard grow in for a while, then tire of it and shave it off or change its shape. The more unusual styles, like a goatee or redneck sideburns may only last for a day or two...or even just a couple of minutes as he plays and then shaves them off.

Anyway, I always vote for at least a moustache, but if he's been gone for a while you never know what he'll be sporting when he arrives.

This time it was a full beard that was unusual (for him) in that he had not trimmed it, so it was more squared off than usual. (Other times he has tended to trim it more to the contours of his face.)

The interesting thing, though, were peoples' reactions. Almost everyone he saw during his time here had something to say when they first saw the beard. Everyone compared him to someone.

What soon became apparent was that the comparisons spoke volumes, not about Alex or his beard, but about the people who made them. For example, when his mother caught a glimpse of him through two layers of glass at the airport, her first reaction was "He looks just like [television preacher] Salvador Gomez!"

[Aside: I thought "Salvador," which means Savior, was the man's profession, but it turns out it's simply his first name. I guess you name your kid Savior, you get a TV evangelist.]

Others included:

• Charlton Heston
• A revolutionary
• Osama
• Moses
• A mountain man

I don't think I said anything myself, but it made me think of Mr. Edwards from Little House on the Prairie.

Interestingly, Sanda Claus was never mentioned.