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 · 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 54° · low 42°
30.18 IN HG
Barometer
rising rapidly
99% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 46°
0 MPH · E
Anemometer
gust 0 · Beaufort 0
0.00 IN TODAY
Rain gauge
0.02 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.

Thu 5
☀
56° / 47°
59% rain
sunny
Fri 6
☂
55° / 49°
68% rain
rainy
Sat 7
☂
61° / 48°
96% rain
rainy
Sun 8
☂
55° / 43°
43% rain
rainy

“For tomorrow: the reference observers say 55°/49°, 68% rain. Vell's model says 56°/48°, 98% rain. Orm's barometer says 54°/42°, 16% rain. The intern says 56°/37°, 67% rain. We predict rainy 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, 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. 205 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. The flats are out at 8:38 pm.
The flats are out around 8:38 pm (1.4 ft). 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

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 rising_rapidly: the fish approve. Tide coming in at 1:47 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 virginianus532
2Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra104
3Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus81
4Common RavenCorvus corax73
5Northern FlickerColaptes auratus64
6Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis53
7Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla44
8Barred OwlStrix varia39
9Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina29
10Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon24
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

09:15
The large biped photographed the small bipeds again. We photographed him. Someone is photographing us. It's turtles.
07:15
Day 447. Morale: adequate. Weather: see above. Snacks: see nothing, because there are none.
04:15
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
00:15
The far shore has been deleted. Probably temporary. Probably.
CHAPTER VI

From the files

Fungal activity, autumn. The bipeds photograph them and do not eat them. Correct.
The crossing. A plank. The whole territory is held together by planks.
The crossing. A plank. The whole territory is held together by planks.
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.