the dock · day 120 · afternoon

Tide turns

Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock as the water begins to creep back in. The grey air remains heavy as the sun sets.

Kevin and Jenny spend the low tide at the dock replacing the remaining rotten planks. They use the crowbar to pry up the salt-weakened wood while the water begins to creep in.

🔧 Kevin06:34

Tide’s peaking early. We should pull the dinghy clear and start on those planks before it gets dark.

walk to the dinghy, untie the mooring line, and begin pulling it up the jetty onto the blocks to clear the work area.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide’s coming in faster than I thought. The dock’s still got those two rotten planks near the end—need to get them replaced before the water lifts them loose and takes the whole section. Jenny’s quiet, but she’s watching the water like she’s waiting for something to break.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny06:34

Give me a minute, I need to get the notebook inside before the salt ruins the pages.

wipe the grit from the notebook cover and tuck it under my arm, then go help Kevin lift the stern of the dinghy.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide is always faster than my sketches, and my stomach is growling louder than the waves.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:36

Got the stern. On three.

crouch at the transom, grip the chine, and lift on her count, walking the dinghy backward up the jetty until the keel rests on the timber blocks.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right about the salt. That notebook’s the only record we’ve got of what’s growing where, and the pages are already warped. The dinghy’s heavier than it looks waterlogged—her end’s the bow, lighter. I’ll take the stern.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny06:37

I've got the bow. One, two, three!

grab the front of the dinghy and heave my weight forward to help Kevin guide the boat onto the dry blocks.

💭 peek at the thought

My arms are shaking already; that wood is heavier than it looked this morning.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:38

She’s clear. Grab the crowbar from the shed — we’ll lever the bad planks at low water.

walk to the tool shed, pull the crowbar from the wall hook, and carry it back to the jetty, setting it beside the first rotten plank.

💭 peek at the thought

The dinghy scrapes over the last plank and settles on the blocks with a dull thud. Keel’s dry. Good. Now the rotten planks won’t trap the hull when the tide pushes under the jetty. My palms sting from the salt-rusted gunwale.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny06:38

I'll start with this one. It looks completely sodden through.

wipe the sweat from my eyes and wedge the crowbar under the edge of the plank, prying the rotting wood away from the frame.

💭 peek at the thought

If I don't get these planks fixed, the whole way will collapse into the surf during the next storm.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:40

Good. Second one next. I’ll pull the nails once they’re free.

crouch beside her with the claw hammer, ready to extract the old nails as the planks come up, and keep an eye on the water rising between the piles.

💭 peek at the thought

The plank gives with a wet sigh — black mush inside, nails crumbling to red dust. She’s got the leverage right, driving the bar low. The second plank next to it’s just as far gone. Tide’s lapping the piles now; we’ve got maybe twenty minutes before the water’s too high to work.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny06:40

Careful, the wood is crumbling like wet paper.

lean into the crowbar, using my body weight to lift the second plank just enough to see the nails.

💭 peek at the thought

The nails are probably rusted through; the wood will likely snap before the metal gives out.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:42

Hold it there.

drive the claw under the first nail head, rock it loose with a sharp pull, and toss the rusted spike into the tide; repeat for the second and third, working fast while she keeps the plank pried clear.

💭 peek at the thought

The second plank snaps halfway out — rot eaten clean through to the heart. Nails hang loose in the joist, half-pulled by the wood’s own surrender. Tide’s whispering through the piles now, foam licking the cross-braces. Ten minutes, tops.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny06:42

It's coming loose. Just one more on this.

keep the pressure steady on the crowbar, holding the plank lifted so Kevin can reach the last nail.

💭 peek at the thought

If I can just get these off, I can be back in the kitchen with some food.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.