Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 09:15 · fog · 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 50° · low 39°
30.03 IN HG
Barometer
steady
99% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 47°
0 MPH · W
Anemometer
gust 2 · 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 predict cloudy tomorrow, 55° 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, 47°, gusts to 2 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

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 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 curvirostra141
3Common RavenCorvus corax66
4Northern FlickerColaptes auratus64
5Barred OwlStrix varia62
6Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis53
7Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus50
8Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon32
9Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina25
10Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri25
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

09:15
Fog. We can hear the territory but not see it. Orm says this is also true of marriage.
07:15
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
04:15
Day 445. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
00:15
Fog probability was 77%. It is now 100%. The intern would like a medal.
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.