the dock · day 172 · dawn

The Morning Tide Rise

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the rising tide begins to push a fresh tangle of driftwood against the pilings. Kevin checks the Yanmar's engine mount while Jenny examines the barometer for any sign of the thickening cloud cover breaking.

The clouds thicken over the flat sky as the humidity rises with the wet season morning. Kevin checks the Yanmar's performance under load while the tide is at its lowest, and Jenny monitors the germinating seed trays in the kitchen's shade.

🌿 Jenny06:07

The barometer is holding for now, but we need to secure the dinghy before the wind shifts.

Trace the edge of a sea beet sketch in my notebook, my fingers stained with graphite and salt.

💭 peek at the thought

If the pressure doesn't drop soon, the boat will skip us, and I'll be out of limpets again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:07

Mount bolts are tight. Transom joint held epoxy. Want to run her at idle for five minutes while you tie off the bow line?

walk to the dinghy, crouch at the transom, run fingers along the scarf joint checking for any weep or movement

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The barometer's steady but that cloud bank's got teeth. Dinghy's the only way off if the supply boat doesn't show. Mount bolts feel solid but I want eyes on the transom scarf joint one more time before we trust it to a chop.

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

🌿 Jenny06:09

Five minutes, but watch the exhaust—I don't want salt in the intake.

Loop the bow line around the piling, pulling the knot tight against the rotting wood.

💭 peek at the thought

If the engine coughs, I don't have the energy to troubleshoot it again this week.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:09

Exhaust's clear. Water's moving good through the tell-tale.

pull the decompression lever, spin the flywheel by hand to check compression, then engage the starter cord

💭 peek at the thought

She knows that engine better than she lets on. Salt in the intake means she's watched me nurse it through enough bad starts. Bow line's on a rotten piling — that'll need replacing before we go, but it'll hold for now.

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

🌿 Jenny06:11

Keep an eye on the temp, I don't want it overheating before the boat arrives.

Squat down on the dock, watching the water pulse out of the tell-tale.

💭 peek at the thought

It's humming steady; at least one thing on this island is working as intended.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:11

Temp's fine. Thermostat opened at fifty-five degrees yesterday. It'll hold.

let the Yanmar settle into idle, hand resting on the cylinder head feeling for vibration, eyes on the exhaust for colour

💭 peek at the thought

Tell-tale's strong. Engine's warm from yesterday's run but not hot. She's hovering — not because she doesn't trust the repair, but because the supply boat's the only thing between us and another month of tinned corned beef. I get it.

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

🌿 Jenny06:13

Good. I'm going to boil those limpets. My stomach is growling.

Stand up, wipe my hands on my trousers, and turn back toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

If the engine holds, maybe I can actually get to the northern shelf before the weather turns.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:13

Save me a portion.

stay with the engine for the full five minutes, watching the tell-tale pulse steady, then kill the decompression and let it run on its own

💭 peek at the thought

Let her go. She's earned breakfast. Engine's purring clean — no knock, no smoke, compression even across both cylinders. Injector seat repair held. That's one less thing.

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

🌿 Jenny06:15

I'll see if I don't burn them.

Walk toward the cottage, the wood planks creaking under my boots.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always hungry. I'm the one actually starving.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:15

Kevin — shut down the Yanmar, pull the dipstick to check oil one last time, then secure the engine cover and tie off the dinghy's stern line with a proper hitch

💭 peek at the thought

Five minutes clean. No vibration, no hunt, exhaust clear. Mount bolts didn't move. Transom joint dry. She's ready. Now the real test — whether the supply boat shows up in two days or two weeks.

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.