By Val Dodge

Throughout vast swaths of the South, no veranda is complete without an old codger kicking back with some hooch and making passersby uncomfortable. Riverdale, where this front porch denizen passes the days, seems to be just close enough to the Mason-Dixon line to qualify. A local resident insisted that this handrafted handyman, equal parts kitschy and creepy, moves with the weeks and the seasons, assuming different positions every once in a while to ease his creaky joints.
It’s unclear whether he used the Santa hat as cover that time he was caught climbing down a neighbour’s chimney. Equally unclear is who (or what) is supposed to be sitting in the little chair beside him.
Photo by Val Dodge.