Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 08:30 · misty morning · 46°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.
46° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 50° · low 39°
30.03 IN HG
Barometer
steady
99% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 45°
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.

Tue 3
☀
54° / 41°
8% rain
sunny
Wed 4
☁
55° / 47°
92% rain
cloudy
Thu 5
☂
56° / 47°
76% rain
rainy
Fri 6
☂
55° / 46°
76% rain
rainy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/47°, 92% rain. Vell's model says 56°/42°, 84% rain. Orm's barometer says 50°/39°, 48% rain. The intern says 53°/37°, 67% rain. We have no better idea and are saying so in a smaller font.”

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.
Misty morning, 46°, 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. 207 days until the bipeds submerge themselves again, on purpose.
The shore

Beach

Go. The wide water is behaving, which it does twice a year, low water at 7:17 pm.
Next low water 7:17 pm at 4.3 ft, so not much beach. 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 12:35 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 virginianus554
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra129
3Barred OwlStrix varia62
4Common RavenCorvus corax55
5Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus46
6Northern FlickerColaptes auratus41
7Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis36
8Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon26
9Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri23
10Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina21
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

08:30
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
06:30
Day 445. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
03:30
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
23:30
Supply drop: still unscheduled. We asked. We were told to 'keep observing.' We are observing the word 'keep.'
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The shore at low water. The far ridge is the edge of what we are allowed to watch.
The shore at low water. The far ridge is the edge of what we are allowed to watch.
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.