It's that time again...

Yep, the birthday fairy paid his annual visit--this time he showered my sister with birthday wishes. Her first choice of things to do, as always, was to go to Fortescue and go fishing. It was on her birthday last year that she caught her first Striper of the season, and we decided to see if her birthday luck would hold again this year.

Last weekend we went to Fortescue, and it was lovely weather. Shorts and T-shirts and toes-in-the-sand kind of weather. This weekend? Not so much. More like jeans and sweatshirts and two jackets and mittens and multiple pair of socks in rubber-boots-in-the-sand type of weather.

Here is a shot of my niece all bundled up. That fishing pole has to be 3 times as tall as she is!
Perseverance (or stupidity?) paid off, and we caught five (count em...5!) Stripers! Here is a picture of my niece's boyfriend (isn't he adorable?) with a fish he caught. I think it was his first time fishing, ever.
Those fingers in the lower right corner of the picture...those are my sister's. You might notice blood on her finger. That's not fish blood---that's human blood. She cut her finger on the fish's gill plate. It wasn't just a cut, it was a laid-open-gaping-hole of a cut which necessitated a trip to the ER.
Yes, indeed. Needed stitches and everything.
Fortunately it was a slow day in the ER and we were in and out in less than 2 hours. We did manage to liven thing up a bit while we were there... the nurses in the ER were all singing, "Give me back that Filet-O-Fish! Give me that fish!"

For her birthday next year, I'm sure we will try for another Striper, but hopefully there will be no trips to the ER!