Most of the time frogs hop away as soon as they sense my approaching footsteps. This male Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), however, stayed in his sunny spot in the shallow waters at the edge of the pond, patiently posing for his portrait on Thursday. With a little encouragement, he even smiled a bit.
When I posted this photo on Facebook, one of my friends commented, “I’ve kissed a few of those.” Her words brought back memories of the role that I played in a theater production of The Frog Prince more than 35 years ago when I was in the military. A cast of adults put on several plays for children, which was a lot of fun, because over-the-top acting was encouraged to keep the kids in the audience engaged—I must admit that I am a bit of a ham when in the spotlight.
Wearing a mask, flippers, green tights, and a leotard, I played the role of the frog, agilely hopping about on the stage. When I was kissed and magically transformed into the handsome prince, a younger, cute blond actor continued in the role—there is only so much you can do with stage make-up.
Be bold today and go out and kiss a friendly frog or at least do something that takes you out of your normal comfort zone.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Sorry to hear you were out-princed in that theater production. Based on what you say you had to wear, it sounds like you at least weren’t out-performed.
Nice Mike! Glad it waited for you to get your camera!😊
He’s a gorgeous frog all right but I think I will give smooching him a miss all the same.
Not much more I can say about this that I didn’t on FB. It’s a very nice shot that I wish was mine, Mike.
Hopping along in flippers, mask and leotard … gutsy Mike!
Your playacting sounds like a lot of fun, Mike. Bet you were well received!
Great pic, and great story!
-Julie
Thanks, Julie.
Fun photo and story!
Thanks, Kathy. I tend to write in a stream of consciousness and I never know when I will suddenly make a tangent in a posting. It can sometimes make my writing a little jumbled and rambling, but more often than know it turns out to be fun and interesting. 🙂
He is a handsome prince of a frog.
I love your comment, Dan–cute and clever. 🙂