The Curious Case of Eva Tecova Mystery Cache
The Curious Case of Eva Tecova
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(micro)
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First published in 1922, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man who is born with the physical appearance of an old man and his physical development moves in reverse over the next seventy or so years. Rest assured, Eva Tecova did not live her life in reverse, but hers is indeed a curious case, a case of how a simple hobby, bird watching, could lead to a lifetime of travel and adventure.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia at the beginning of the last century, Eva's interest in birds began at a very young age. Her diaries indicate that she took an interest in birding following a family vacation to Siberia, where an encounter with a small flock of curlews left her eager to know more about birds. As a young woman, she gained acclaim for her drawings of the Northern Heron, which were later collected and published as the short volume, "Heron to the North." When an opportunity came to travel to the United States at the outbreak of World War II, she followed her Northstar and settled in Yolo County, California. Her first published work in her new land was a series of sketches of the Southern Oriole, published as the volume, "Oriole to the South." In a postwar interview, she listed sandpipers, mergansers, and herons as her favorite birds, along with her beloved curlew. In 1950, her most important and enduring work, "A Focus on the Curlew," was published. Asked by an aspiring birder for the key to spotting the prize, Tecova laughed and said, "Pay attention, and of course, look in places that others miss. While some try too hard to look for signs, my focus on the curlew has required me to box up my preconceptions and mail them away!" Although many bird species interested Eva, her work on the curlew seems to have most nearly intersected with her work on the heron. In later years, however, her interest in the heron headed south. She put it this way: "I reflect on the heron, and I reflect on myself, but the curlew seems to have gotten the balance just right." She enjoyed birding and sketching well into her seventies. If you were to add up all her minutes on this earth, you would have 79.463 years' worth. Eva Tecova led an amazing life filled with seeking and finding, something geocachers can appreciate!
Bring your own pen. Have fun!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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