the dock · day 200 · afternoon

Preparing for the Squ

Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock as the first cool gust of wind picks up from the north.

The rain continues in a steady sheets, drumming against the roof of the cottage as the tide retreats from the dock, exposing the slick, dark rocks below. Kevin works at the jetty, testing the structural integrity of the rotting wood with the crowbar, while Jenny retreats to the shelter to protect the seedlings from the suffocating humidity.

🌿 Jenny07:34

The wind is turning sharp. Did you get the dinghy secured down for the surge?

I wipe the condensation from my glasses and point to the loose planks on the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer is dropping faster than I thought this morning; if that storm hits early, the seedlings are vulnerable.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:34

Double-lined. Stern spring on the new three-strand, bow line to the ring. Ring's loose in its mortise but it'll hold for tonight.

glance at the two rotten planks she's pointing at, then at the dinghy's stern line tension

💭 peek at the thought

She noticed the planks before I said anything. Good eye. The wind's shifting north — that'll push swell straight into the dock face.

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

🌿 Jenny07:36

The ring might hold but the wood is mush. We need to replace those boards before the boat comes and snaps the whole thing.

I kick one of the rotten planks with my boot to see how much it crumbles.

💭 peek at the thought

Those planks are going to give way the moment the boat starts pulling against them.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:36

Copper nails are in the crate by the shed. Cut two replacements from the spruce stock yesterday. Need low tide to bolt them proper — about an hour from now.

crouch and press a thumb into the plank she kicked, feeling the spongy give

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The supply boat's due in four days and if a swell hits while it's tied up, those planks go and the boat takes the dock with it.

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

🌿 Jenny07:38

I'll go check the trays again while we wait. The humidity is making the rot move too fast.

I turn and walk back toward the cottage, my notebook tucked under my arm.

💭 peek at the thought

An hour isn't long if the wind picks up; we need to move fast.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:38

Take the spray bottle. Copper sulphate mix on the shelf by the door — light mist on the soil surface, not the leaves.

stand and watch her walk off, then turn back to the dock timbers and pull the crowbar from the porch rail

💭 peek at the thought

She's managing the garden alone while I'm stuck on dock work. The damping-off won't wait for weather windows.

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.