The Golden Gargoyle

I was shocked Sunday morning when I opened the door and stepped out to feel what the weather was like. Someone had spray painted the gargoyle on the corner of the deck gold! Had we had an early Halloween prankster overnight?
"Bud, did you do that?" I asked unnecessarily . "Do what?", he questioned. "Paint the gargoyle gold!", I replied. My question was redundant because I know Bud would never do anything like that without discussing it with me first. "Are you sure it just isn't the sun shining on it?" "No, look, it's really gold", I squealed. So he came to see for himself and of course by then the angle of the sun had changed and our guardian of the deck gargoyle had changed back to its regular color.

I had so many outdoor statues, garden decor, and other accessories around the yard when we lived on the farm. With not much space at our new home, I had to choose a select few to make the move with us. This little Classic gargoyle was one. He(?) has been sitting on this same corner of the deck for four years now. (Pictured here in 2009 with an ornamental purple pepper plant identified as 'Calico' on the tag.)

As many pictures as I have taken of him, here covered in hoar frost, it is a wonder I haven't given him a name. Any suggestions? Should I hold a contest to name him? her? it? (Not Cousin Itt.)

Patiently he sits in all kinds of weather. I was actually trying to photograph the fog on the spider webs in this picture.

Here the gargoyle appears with the verdigris finish it had originally. On the farm our entrance guardian was mounted on an old fence post where the walk began out by the garage. It appears I was photographing dew-draped spider webs this day.

I don't remember when I first became enamored with gargoyles. Nor do I even remember when I first became aware of them. Was it from fairy tales? Or stills I'd seen from The Hunchback of Notre Dame?
However and whenever it happened, by the time I bought this Hyena gargoyle as a gift for Bud, I probably did so as much because I wanted it as I did because I thought he would like it.

This one has been spray painted a few times since losing its original finish. Never once, however, did I consider painting it gold.