Avery felt a twinge of guilt for sitting under the old White pine again, waiting for the saw-whet to appear. She was well on her way to developing a thorough database on these owls. Her research so far had netted over fifty owls, the majority males. But this one, he would not be caught. And she didn’t have much more time. So she made an attempt at least once a week to lure him in with the hope she would uncover some deep secret he held. Why was he so different from the rest? Where was his mate? She took out the diary while she waited. Maybe that was another reason she came to this spot. In truth, it allowed her time to read Minnie’s diary without worrying about stopping to disengage an owl from the net.
July 30, 1893
It is hard to believe it is going to be August in two days! Today Nate and I had our afternoon tea under the White pine. I showed Nate how to prepare tea properly for a picnic. William provided us with portable cake tins so we filled those up with some scones I baked, and jam. He also gave us a small silver teapot with a spirit lamp so we could brew it right in the forest. Nate thought that was so exciting. He said the lamp reminded him of a portable stove his uncle Ike uses when they camp. It was a lovely tea party. He brought the new book William gave him, “The Last of the Mohicans”. A love story I believe, I have never read it so I am looking forward to it. William told me he loves that story.
William is arriving any minute now so I must go. Nate is building us a campfire and we are going to feast on trout for dinner. It may be the last time I see William for a while as he has more guests arriving next week.
Minnie