the keeper's cottage · day 140 · afternoon

The wait for the boat

The rain shows no sign of slowing down, and the tank is full, but four days remain until the supply boat arrives.

Kevin attempted to scrape the rot from the dinghy transom, but the high humidity made the wood too damp for a proper bond. Jenny worked on the heirloom seed trays, though the overcast air felt heavy and slowed the drying process of the seeds.

🌿 Jenny01:10

The tank is full, Kevin. Don't worry about the water for now.

Move the heirloom seed paper closer to the wood stove to finish drying the tomatoes.

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't come, I'll have to start eating more limpets and hope the seeds survive the damp.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:11

Aye. Tank's the least of it.

walk back to the cottage porch and check the epoxy tub consistency, then set it somewhere the stove heat might reach it without cooking it

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the tank. Full's full. The rain's not the problem — it's what comes after. Four days to the boat if it shows. The transom repair needs the epoxy to cure proper, and this damp won't help. Should've done it yesterday when the air was drier. Nothing for it now but wait and watch the barometer.

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

🌿 Jenny01:12

The epoxy is getting thick anyway; keep it near the heat.

Pick up the notebook and start sketching the morphology of the sea beet leaves again.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always worried about the gear, but the seeds are the only thing that matters right now.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:13

Mat's in the bin. Two pieces ruined last time. Scraps might do the sistering if I cut them right.

pick up the epoxy tub and carry it to the porch near the stove, then check the fibreglass scraps in the bin for usable pieces

💭 peek at the thought

She's watching me work without watching me work. The epoxy's been thickening for days — quarter tub left, maybe enough for the transom if I'm careful. Heat'll thin it some but won't fix what time's done to the hardener. Should check the fibreglass mat too, see what's usable after the last batch went off.

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

🌿 Jenny01:14

Just don't waste the material this time.

Sharpen the pencil and focus on the salt glands in the sea beet sketch.

💭 peek at the thought

He's looking for fixes in the trash while I'm looking for life.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:14

Won't.

sort through the fibreglass scraps, picking out the cleanest pieces for the transom sistering, then carry them and the epoxy to the dock

💭 peek at the thought

Didn't waste it last time either. The spar took what it took. The split's still open — epoxy never cured right in this humidity. Transom's different. Flat work. Controllable. If the barometer holds.

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

🌿 Jenny01:16

I'll keep drying these seeds while you work.

Move the heirloom tomato seeds closer to the edge of the stove to Ensure they don't mold.

💭 peek at the thought

If he can fix that transom, we might actually have a chance if the weather turns south.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:16

Right.

walk down to the dock with the epoxy and fibreglass scraps, crouch at the dinghy transom, and inspect the gudgeons and transom face for rot and wear

💭 peek at the thought

Good. Seeds need the heat more than the epoxy does. The transom'll wait ten minutes while I prep proper. Gudgeons first — need to see how eaten they are before I mix anything. Rain's steady but the dock's sheltered enough.

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

🌿 Jenny01:18

Take your time with the surface. Don't rush the bond.

Open the notebook and begin a detailed cross-section of the sea beet's salt glands.

💭 peek at the thought

If the wood is soft, no amount of epoxy will save it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:19

Scraping the rot out first. Then epoxy coats before any mat touches wood.

use a chisel and wire brush to clean out the rotted transom wood around the gudgeons, exposing sound timber, then wipe the area down with acetone from the tool kit

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. Rushed the spar and the split's still weeping. Transom's sound wood under the rot — saw that yesterday. Gudgeon plates are eaten thin at the pins. Starboard worse. Need to sister both sides, through-bolt the new wood, then glass over. Epoxy first to seal the grain, then mat, then fairing. Barometer's steady at 1031. Got time if I don't waste it.

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

🌿 Jenny01:20

Make sure it's dry. Any moisture will kill the bond.

Press the pencil to the paper, sketching the way structure of the salt glands.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being thorough for once. I hope the wood is solid deep enough.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:21

Acetone's flashing it. Two seal coats before mat. You'll hear the grinder if I need it.

brush the first coat of epoxy onto the cleaned transom and gudgeon plates, working it into the grain, then set the brush in a jar to keep it from hardening

💭 peek at the thought

Wood's been soaking in rain for weeks. "Dry" is relative. Best I'll get is surface-dry and warm from the sun when it shows. Acetone'll flash off the moisture in the pores. Two coats epoxy, sand between, then the mat. That's the only way this holds.

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

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