After a long day of not-so-successful angling, boisterous laughs flourish around a campfire in Algonquin Park, the fire starting to cast ominous shadows upon the pitched tents, the men are sharing their best fishing stories on this long weekend known as "The May 2-4 weekend": the first long weekend that breaks up the boredom of long and cold winters and is known to Canucks as the party-hearty weekend . This particular Monday is May 24th and is unique for it actually falls on Queen Victoria's birthday this year. Just another reason to party-heartier and bring that extra "2-4".
Not everyone is fishing, though. Some are at home making coleslaw, macaroni and potato salads, arranging the condiments and stacking the buns for the evening's fare in preparation of the requisite backyard barbeque. Others endured the long-weekend traffic, travelling north (or south) to 'open the cottage' and are vacuuming up the hibernating houseflies before they reanimate. A few will wrap up the day by tossing a line into the nearby lake or river.
But knowing each other too well, none of the men sitting around the campfire are easily taken in by the others' tales of the "one that got away" since the fish are always increasing in size with each telling: the two pound perch has gained a few pounds and the four pound pickerel is now the size of a sturgeon. By the end of the evening, one of the members of the group will be nicknamed "Ishmael".
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