Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 15:15 · partly cloudy · 52°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.
52° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 55° · low 39°
30.02 IN HG
Barometer
steady
77% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 45°
0 MPH · W
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.

Tue 3
☀
54° / 42°
3% rain
sunny
Wed 4
☀
55° / 47°
86% rain
sunny
Thu 5
☀
56° / 48°
75% rain
sunny
Fri 6
☂
55° / 48°
75% rain
rainy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/47°, 86% rain. Vell's model says 56°/43°, 88% rain. Orm's barometer says 55°/39°, 56% rain. The intern says 61°/39°, 33% 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, 52°, 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. 207 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 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 visible.
Open flame

Campfire

Light it. Dry wood, no wind. Smoke goes up. Up! For once.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 77%, dry enough. 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 going out until 7:17 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 curvirostra209
3Common RavenCorvus corax134
4Northern FlickerColaptes auratus98
5Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis83
6Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus79
7Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri62
8Barred OwlStrix varia62
9Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon53
10Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla44
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

15:15
Day 445. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
13:15
Grey. The Great Horned Owl doesn't care (554 calls before noon). We are learning not to care. Slowly.
10:15
Pressure steady. Orm says this means something. Orm's track record is in the appendix. The appendix is short.
06:15
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
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.