Where It All Began
The real moment that sparked the legend
This is the true story of Frog Rock — the moment that sparked the folklore, told with care for both history and imagination.
On a soft June night in 1971, when the island was a quieter place and the roads curled through cedar and shadow, two high-school sweethearts set out with little more than a can of paint and a spark of mischief.
Bob Green and Ellen Barnes were on the precipice of graduation — young, bright, filled with the restless creativity that often comes at the edge of adulthood. As the evening settled around Bainbridge Island in its usual hush of mist, they stopped at a familiar pair of glacial boulders resting at the bend of Phelps Road and N Madison Avenue.
The stones had been there for thousands of years — split by dynamite decades before, worn by rain, touched by moss. But on that night, something new was waiting to happen. Something playful. Something lasting.
Bob lifted his brush. Ellen steadied the paint. And with a few confident swirls — a smile here, a curve there — a roadside friend came to life.
Frog Rock opened his bright, curious face to the world.
Bob and Ellen never imagined they were starting anything big. They were simply making each other laugh. They were simply making something fun. They were simply giving a little personality to a pair of quiet stones.
And yet, by morning, something had changed.
Drivers slowed. Children pointed. Neighbors smiled. People waved at the frog with the red, curlicue grin — as if he had always been meant to greet them.
The island had found a new friend.
Ladybug didn’t arrive that first magical night.
Sometime later — perhaps a year, perhaps a season — friends gathered again to care for Frog Rock. As Ellen and Bob recall, it may have been during one of those early paint nights, around 1972, when a joyful idea found its way into the story: a bright red Ladybug perched lovingly beside him.
The exact moment has softened with time, as cherished memories do. But the feeling remains clear. Ladybug wasn’t simply added — she appeared out of affection. A gesture of delight. A spark of whimsy to keep Frog Rock company.
And suddenly, Frog Rock wasn’t standing watch alone anymore.
If Frog Rock was the heart — steady and grounded — Ladybug became the spark: playful, hopeful, full of light. Together they became an unlikely duo, watching seasons shift and families grow, remaining humble, joyful, and always there for anyone who needed a smile.
“Frog Rock became a piece of living folklore, not because he was painted once, but because the community chose to keep loving him.”
What began with two teenagers on a misty 1971 night grew into something far larger — a landmark woven by thousands of small interactions.
Children posed for photos on the first day of school.
Couples stopped during evening drives.
Visitors brought postcards from faraway places.
Neighbors refreshed the paint, tidied the moss, left tiny gifts behind.
And sometimes, something unexpected happened — a costume, a joke, a moment of pure delight — reminding everyone that whimsy can live a very long time.
Frog Rock became a piece of living folklore — not because he was painted once, but because the community chose to keep loving him.
Bob and Ellen’s whimsical act wasn’t just art, but an inheritance. A shared story. A quiet reminder of the magic that lives in simple things.
Today, more than fifty years later, Frog Rock and Ladybug still rest at their familiar corner, as they watch the tapestry of island life unfold.
They’ve been featured in films, books, festivals, stories, classrooms, newsletters, and family scrapbooks. They’ve become part of the Bainbridge identity — a piece of joy at the roadside, greeting passersby with the same warm grin and bright spirit as ever.
And now, with the Frog Rock Storybook, their world continues to grow — not away from Bob and Ellen’s original spark, but because of it. The stories may wander, but the heart remains the same.
This is the story behind the story:
A single night of creativity that slowly grew into a community legend.
A friendly smile that never faded.
A reminder that imagination — especially when shared — has a way of lasting.