Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 04:15 · fog · 41°F
41° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 55° · low 33°
30.17 IN HG
Barometer
steady
99% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 41°
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
☁
52° / 45°
16% rain
cloudy
Tue 3
☀
56° / 42°
0% rain
sunny
Wed 4
☀
57° / 47°
81% rain
sunny
Thu 5
☁
57° / 47°
62% rain
cloudy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 56°/42°, 0% rain. Vell's model says 55°/47°, 2% rain. Orm's barometer says 55°/33°, 48% rain. The intern says 53°/38°, 67% rain. We predict sunny tomorrow, 56° at best. Orm predicts the opposite. One of us will be right and it will be unbearable.”

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, 41°, 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, low water at 6:21 pm.
Next low water 6:21 pm at 5.7 ft, so not much beach. Wind calm, which the canal rarely is, the far shore is hidden.
Open flame

Campfire

Smoulder, at best. Which is also our review of the assignment.
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

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 steady: the fish approve. Tide coming in at 11:46 am.
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 virginianus169
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra28
3Barred OwlStrix varia18
4Common RavenCorvus corax16
5Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla3
6Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana1
7CoyoteCanis latrans1
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

04:15
last quarter moon over the wide water. Nothing to report. Reporting it anyway. That's the job.
02:15
Dark. The large rodent at the still water is presumably awake. We have no instrument for rodents. Orm has filed a request. Form 9. Denied.
23:15
Supply drop: still unscheduled. We asked. We were told to 'keep observing.' We are observing the word 'keep.'
19:15
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
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.