Girls' (and Boys') Day Out

My granddaughter Iris started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. Before the first day of school she and her Mom had a Girls' Day Out on which Iris could choose to do whatever she wanted. She chose to go fishing!

Laura called me up and asked if they could borrow some fishing stuff. On the big day, just before they were going to come by and pick it up, she called me again. Iris had decided that maybe they needed some expert advice along with the equipment. So she wanted to invite me to go along!

Attagirl!

Sebastian just happened to be free that day so he was invited, too.

We went to Griffy Lake. There were some green night crawlers left, so we baited up with those and went at it.

Then the inevitable happened.

They both got wet almost up to their necks. Sweatshirts were called for.

With that done Iris got down to fishing. She was willing to get a little assistance, but she wanted to learn to cast on her own. Sebastian was willing to let her use his rod. Thanks. Sebastian.

She really worked at it. At first her casts came straight back at where I'm standing to take these shots. She also hung up consistently in a big sycamore 5 yards off her right shoulder.

But it wasn't long before she was getting off some beautiful arcing casts way out in front of her.

We weren't having a lot of luck, even though we were getting some nibbles and pulls. Then Laura finally caught a fish. Iris helped her land it.

How did Laura ever hook this one?

Sebastian was getting antsy to go hiking. Iris wanted to keep fishing. So we split up for awhile.

Then it was lunch. Iris took some photos. About a million. It's what she's been doing since I put my point and shoot in her hands when she was two. I picked out two that I really like. Her cousin Sebastian...

And the sky as we drove back to our house.

It was a wonderful time.

Oh, and Iris loves kindergarten.

Iris Catches a Fish By Herself

I went back to Yellowwood Lake on a warm afternoon, this time with Lidia, Sebastian, and cousin Iris. I haven't been fishing with Iris for a long time, so it was good to get her back in the rotation.

The kids were eager to get down to the water.

Sebastian remembered something he had to do and made a quick stop by a tree.

Then it was checking out the water...

...baiting up...

Photo by Lidia.

...and getting to it.

Photo by Lidia.

Iris had never caught a fish by herself. She was intent on changing that.

And she came through. Way to go, Iris! The first of many.

After that, it was boots off and explore the life of the lakeshore.

Lidia caught a minnow in her hands (How did you do that, Lidia?) so Iris held it for awhile and then tried to catch some herself. She thought that would be way cooler than catching a fish with a rod and reel.

Sebastian fished for awhile--with no luck this time--and then got interested in the snacks and watching Iris and the minnows.

We moved down the shoreline and checked out a different spot.

It wasn't a good spot for minnows--or for bluegills--so the kids took off exploring the woods. We gathered them up and hiked back to the car and drove to the other end of the lake and a wide grassy area perfect for grazing geese and running children.

We looked at the water--Iris waded in again--and I threw a worm in to see if we could find any more hungry bluegills. We didn't, and the kids were more interested in exploring, anyway. They were drawn to the sledding hill as if by magnets and quickly conquered its heights.

What goes up must come down. They couldn't resist running all the way down. Lidia and I watched as they got to the bottom and kept on running--straight for the geese. The geese began to run, honking wildly, and then exploded into flight with a roar of wings. While I would normally counsel the children not to disturb wildlife, I have to admit it was a magnificent moment.

Photos by Lidia.

We hiked past the geese, now safely out of reach of marauding children, and tried our luck again at one more fishing spot. But the catching was over. And it was time to go. Iris would be the fisherman of the day on this trip, and that was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

We hiked back to the car. Three of us went around the sledding hill. One of us went straight over it one more time.