Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 10:45 · partly cloudy · 51°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.
51° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 56° · low 50°
29.97 IN HG
Barometer
falling
91% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 49°
0 MPH · E
Anemometer
gust 1 · Beaufort 0
0.00 IN TODAY
Rain gauge
0.02 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.

Fri 6
☂
55° / 49°
82% rain
rainy
Sat 7
☂
61° / 49°
100% rain
rainy
Sun 8
☂
56° / 42°
51% rain
rainy
Mon 9
☂
53° / 48°
80% rain
rainy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 61°/49°, 100% rain. Vell's model says 60°/49°, 100% rain. Orm's barometer says 54°/48°, 80% rain. The intern says 62°/40°, 0% rain. This has never happened before. We are frightened.”

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.
Partly cloudy, 51°, gusts to 1 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. 204 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 9:11 pm.
The flats are out around 9:11 pm (0.2 ft). Wind calm, which the canal rarely is, the far shore is visible.
Open flame

Campfire

Smoulder, at best. Which is also our review of the assignment.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 91%, everything is wet. No wind, so the smoke will sit in the yard and come indoors.
The wide water

Fishing

Yes. The fish are 'running,' which we assumed was a joke. It is not.
The salmon are back in the wide water and nosing up the creek. Overcast, pressure falling: the fish approve. Tide coming in at 2:15 pm.
CHAPTER IV

Fauna census, today

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

1Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra15
2Song SparrowMelospiza melodia13
3Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis11
4Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla10
5Common RavenCorvus corax10
6Northern FlickerColaptes auratus10
7Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius8
8Pacific WrenTroglodytes pacificus7
9Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri4
10Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus4
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

10:45
Cloud, no rain. The bipeds call this 'nice.' We have filed it under 'nice.' The folder is enormous.
08:45
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
05:45
Grey. The Red Crossbill doesn't care (15 calls before noon). We are learning not to care. Slowly.
01:45
Pressure falling. Orm says this means something. Orm's track record is in the appendix. The appendix is short.
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The canids, at rest. The pale one is in charge. The brown one is in charge of the pale one.
The canids, at rest. The pale one is in charge. The brown one is in charge of the pale one.
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.