Terran monitoring · Hood Canal sector · relay 7

Larch Station

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

The view

Live · 17:45 · fog · 44°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.
44° FAHRENHEIT
Thermometer
high 50° · low 33°
30.12 IN HG
Barometer
steady
97% RELATIVE
Hygrometer
dew point 44°
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°, 10% rain. Orm's barometer says 50°/33°, 64% rain. The intern says 56°/40°, 100% 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.
Fog, 44°, 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 hidden.
Open flame

Campfire

Smoulder, at best. Which is also our review of the assignment.
No burn ban in effect (checked by hand). Humidity 97%, 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 going out until 6:21 pm.
CHAPTER IV

Fauna census, today

The small flying ones, counted by the microphones. The full census, with recordings, is on the bird site.

1Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra274
2Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus244
3Common RavenCorvus corax196
4Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus177
5Northern FlickerColaptes auratus164
6Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis128
7Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri104
8Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus94
9Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina82
10Pacific chorus frogPseudacris regilla80
CHAPTER V

Observer's log

17:45
Night. Lights on in Structure B. The biped in there is working, or being watched by a smaller screen. Both. Definitely both.
15:45
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.
12:45
The instrument turned 40 times this hour. Who is counting? The intern. The intern is always counting.
08:45
last quarter moon over the wide water. Nothing to report. Reporting it anyway. That's the job.
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.