Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 11:17 · partly cloudy · 47°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.
47° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 55° · low 33°
30.16 IN HG
Barometer
steady
92% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 45°
0 MPH · E
Anemometer
gust 1 · 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
☀
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°, 11% rain. Orm's barometer says 55°/33°, 56% rain. The intern says 53°/38°, 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. Take the long way. Tell no one.
Partly cloudy, 47°, 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. 208 days until the bipeds submerge themselves again, on purpose.
The shore

Beach

Yes. Bring the canids. Bring a towel for the canids. Bring a towel for the towel, 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 visible.
Open flame

Campfire

Smoulder, at best. Which is also our review of the assignment.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 92%, 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. Pressure steady, bright. 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 virginianus243
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra147
3Northern FlickerColaptes auratus87
4Common RavenCorvus corax80
5Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis75
6Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri69
7Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus68
8Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus56
9Barred OwlStrix varia48
10Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina31
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

11:17
Supply drop: still unscheduled. We asked. We were told to 'keep observing.' We are observing the word 'keep.'
09:17
Grey. The Great Horned Owl doesn't care (243 calls before noon). We are learning not to care. Slowly.
06:17
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
02:17
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.