Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

A weather outpost, staffed, against the wishes of the staff
CHAPTER I

The view

Live · 22:30 · fog · 40°F
Bearing 1 of 7 · Structures A and B
The ship's camera. Arrows, the dots or the keyboard to look elsewhere; drag to scan.
40° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 50° · low 33°
30.10 IN HG
Barometer
steady
99% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 40°
0 MPH · E
Anemometer
gust 0 · Beaufort 0
0.00 IN TODAY
Rain gauge
0.00 in this week
CHAPTER II

Hypotheses

What the crew expect, and what the reference observers on the surface say. Graded afterwards, on the hypotheses page.

Mon 2
☁
None° / 45°
16% rain
cloudy
Tue 3
☀
55° / 42°
11% rain
sunny
Wed 4
☀
56° / 47°
87% rain
sunny
Thu 5
☁
56° / 47°
78% rain
cloudy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/42°, 11% rain. Vell's model says 53°/46°, 6% rain. Orm's barometer says 50°/33°, 64% rain. The intern says 53°/37°, 67% rain. The intern's method (looking out the window) is beating our method (looking at the instruments). We have ordered a bigger window.”

CHAPTER III

Expeditions

Whether the bipeds should attempt the things they attempt. Advisory only. They never listen.

The path

Hike

Go. The canids have already decided and are waiting by the door.
Fog, 40°, gusts to 0 mph. The hill is dry enough. The crossing is always fine.
Closed for the season
The rectangular pond

Pool

Closed for the season. Reopens 29 May.
Open from the Saturday before Memorial Day to Labor Day. 208 days until the bipeds submerge themselves again, on purpose.
The shore

Beach

Go. The wide water is behaving, which it does twice a year. The flats are out at 5:07 am.
The flats are out around 5:07 am (1.2 ft). Wind calm, which the canal rarely is, the far shore is hidden.
Open flame

Campfire

Possible, with the dry wood from under cover. You know the wood. The good wood.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 99%, everything is wet. No wind, so the smoke will sit in the yard and come indoors.
The wide water

Fishing

Go. Something is biting. We have not been told what.
The salmon are back in the wide water and nosing up the creek. Overcast, pressure steady: the fish approve. Tide coming in at 10:38 pm.
CHAPTER IV

Fauna census, today

The small flying ones, counted by the microphones. The full census, with recordings, is on the bird site.

1Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus336
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra280
3Common RavenCorvus corax258
4Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus177
5Northern FlickerColaptes auratus164
6Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis132
7Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri105
8Barred OwlStrix varia104
9Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus95
10Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla84
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

22:30
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
20:30
A sound from the ravine. The microphone says 'owl.' The microphone also once said 'sheep.' Noted, with asterisk.
17:30
Day 444. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
13:30
Night. Lights on in Structure B. The biped in there is working, or being watched by a smaller screen. Both. Definitely both.
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The still water. Built by the large rodent. Rodent instrument: requested. Form 9. Denied.
The still water. Built by the large rodent. Rodent instrument: requested. Form 9. Denied.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.
Structure B. Lit at all hours. We think it's a shrine. To what, we are not cleared to know.