In 1992 I was the Artist Guest of Honor of the Australian National Science Fiction Convention in Sydney, and after the convention my family and I spent some time traveling around the country.

My 11 year-old daughter and I took a special side trip alone to visit the magical Ayers Rock. We flew to Alice Springs, took a bus, and climbed the rock with other tourists and throughout the trip I realized how much she had matured and how fast she would change from that point on.

Up on top someone dropped a white handkerchief, which the strong wind immediately carried away. At that moment, I felt like Alexa and I were poised in time between her childhood and her stepping off into the rest of her life.