Monday, March 24, 2008

rear windowed


There’s a scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 movie Rear Window where photojournalist L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) is peering through the viewfinder of his camera across the courtyard at his neighbor Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr). Jefferies suspects that Thorwald has murdered his wife. Suddenly, Thorwald looks through the window and catches Jefferies watching him. Busted! The voyeur is discovered.

The other day, I was creeping up on a bullfrog at Ijams Nature Center to take his picture, and just as I began to frame him in my viewfinder he whirled around to look straight at me. Now, I know just how Jefferies must have felt. The peeping Tom becomes peeped upon. I have no idea if the pea-green amphibian had murdered his wife but bullfrogs have been known to eat other bullfrogs.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The peeping Tom becomes peeped upon. Love it!

BriteCloud said...

The kids and I used to drive my parents' golf cart around their pond. It was so quiet that the bullfrogs didn't hear us until we were right on their tails. (So to speak.) It became a game of how close we could get before they became aware of us and jumped into the pond. It is so weird to see them floating with their legs extended and relaxed. They make quite a splash when they jump.

Stephen Lyn Bales said...

Hello britecloud. Frogs generally fascinate kids. For some reason we adults tend to out grow them, our interest wanes as we become more captivated by birds or world politics or neighborhood gossip. But frogs and toads have their own unique charm. (See March 16 posting).

At the nature center, the bullfrogs are beginning to appear, but they are quiet. They do not start calling for a mate until it gets much warmer, usually late May into the heat of summer.

Stephen Lyn Bales said...

Thanks Patty.