Resident Skink

I promise this is the last time I'll show the skink that lives on and around our patio.  This is the most menacing look I've seen from him.  He actually frightened me yesterday when I went out, and he was sticking his head from under the cover on the outdoor grill.  We are very cautious about snakes in the area and for a moment he fooled me.  When I went on the patio today to take this  photo, he posed.  At least, it seems he has learned I am glad he lives out there and eats insects.  That is a chair leg beside his head.  With his tail, he is about 12 inches long, and his body is thick, probably more than an inch across his back.