The Great Frog Mystery

Lauren, mom of the Johnson family in Cabin 8 came to report that in the screen door, they had a frog stuck between the 3/8″ metal mesh (inside so kids and adults don’t destroy the screen door on weekly basis) and the actual screen.  She couldn’t figure out how the little guy got in there because it is sealed on all sides.

Both sections of the door are stapled down and then sealed off with wood finishing strips. I know because I built that door.  I went to look at the door and sure enough, there was a small frog inside bouncing around.  Well, if I don’t extract the frog, he’s going to stink in about a day.  He’s still healthy because the sun isn’t up high enough to roast him at 9:30 AM.

Upon my examination, there is absolutely no hole in any part of the screens on either side of the door that would allow that frog to pass.   His eyes alone were almost 3/4 of an inch across and there was NO WAY for that frog to get in there without tools.   He had enough room to hop around and that was it.  Everything was tight on that door.

I tried to remove the bottom wood strip with my pliers but this job needed more tools. They always do.   I return to the office to get a screwgun, screws, claw hammer, and a flat screwdriver.   I’m gone for about 5 minutes, tops.

I get back to the screen door and start prying the bottom strip off when I just happened to look for the frog.   I stopped immediately when I noticed the frog was gone.   I looked and looked again.  No frog.   No holes.   Pulling either mesh side of the screen off, definitely needed tools.   No visible sign of tampering.  Short of bringing in a forensic examiner, there was zero tampering.  Nobody touched the job in the five minutes I was gone.   But, the frog was nowhere to be found. I reexamined the door for something loose or a hole – one – more – time.   Then I began to wonder if David Copperfield was at the resort this week.   This was one heck of a magic trick.

I told the story to the Johnsons who opened their main door when they heard me pounding the partially loosened trim back into place. Lauren said she was happy that I actually witnessed the frog as well.  We all were head scratching.

Oh, well.   It was better than having to destroy the bottom of the door to get the frog out.  Another mystery in the vacation industry…