Fred the Frog: A No-Tech Wonder

                  At 7:30 AM this past Wednesday, I picked up my 6- and 9-year-old grandsons to play golf at our local 9-hole course.  Our custom is to rent a cart, tee up, and embark on our adventure.  We celebrate our best shots but don’t keep score.

                  Near the green on the 5th hole, the 9-year-old said, “There’s a frog!” He pointed to the ground, but I couldn’t see what he was talking about.  He knelt down, carefully picked up a wee creature, cupped it in his hand and showed us.  It was an exciting discovery:

We continued to play, but the kids’ attention was focused on the frog. They decided to name it “Fred.” The six-year-old decided to not play the next two holes so he could be Fred’s primary guardian.  On the last two holes, they took turns: one would be Fred’s caretaker while the other took his shot.

                  We finished our round and went to breakfast.  Before going into the restaurant, they designed a minimum-security safe space for Fred in the cupholder of the car console, using a napkin as the roof.

                  After breakfast we came out and discovered Fred had escaped.  I happened to see him by my right foot next to the accelerator pedal. I moved my foot aside.  The 6-year-old rose from the back seat and twisted himself past me for the rescue, his feet in the air like a descending abalone diver.  He gently placed Fred in the palm of his left hand and returned to his seat.

A few minutes later, we pulled into their driveway.  The boys quickly got out and took Fred inside, leaving me behind to bring in the leftover French Toast and the unfinished blue Poweraide. They rushed past their mom to their bedroom, formulating plans for a suitable enclosure that would keep Fred safe until he’d be released into the nearby creek.  

Fred is not a digital representation of a frog. He’s not a character in a video game. He is not an imaginary creature created by artificial intelligence that looks and acts like a frog. Fred is real.  If you aren’t careful, you can hurt him.  He’s a marvelous work and a wonder.  He honorably represents the countless frogs, tadpoles, grasshoppers, ladybugs, Roly Poly Bugs, and other creatures that children have been discovering, learning from, and caring for as long as human beings have been inhabiting this earth. 

Who was I to think that the most memorable event of the day might be some remarkable shot from grandpa?