the dock · day 203 · afternoon

Preparation for the Boat

The sun begins its slow dip as the air remains still. They meet at the dock to review the manifest for tomorrow.

The sun hangs low over the island, casting long shadows across the decaying dock planks. The tide is receding rapidly, exposing slick, salt-encrusted rocks along the northern shelf. The humid air is heavy with the scent of salt and drying kelp as the pair makes the final preparations for the supply boat's arrival.

🔧 Kevin10:08

Manifest's in the wheelhouse. Diesel first, then the crate with the injector parts. Water pump impeller goes on the porch — don't want salt spray on the bearings.

Check the dinghy's forward spring line chafe point, then walk the dock planks one more time, tapping each with the crowbar to confirm the new copper nails hold.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide's falling clean. Good holding ground for Mickey's anchor. Just need to make sure the spring lines take the load when he swings.

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

🌿 Jenny10:08

Did they confirm the tonnage on the diesel? I don't want to be short again.

Lean against a sturdy piling and watch him tap the planks, stomach growling.

💭 peek at the thought

He's treating the manifest like a checklist for a machine. He hasn't mentioned the food or the mail, just the hardware.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:10

Two hundred litres on the manifest. Mickey said he'd top it to two-fifty if the tide holds. We'll dip the drums before he casts off.

Finish the plank check, then climb into the dinghy to verify the Yanmar starts cold — thumb the decompression lever, spin the flywheel, feel for compression.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right to ask. Last time Mickey shorted us forty litres and blamed the pump calibration. I didn't catch it until the generator sputtered at 3 AM.

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

🌿 Jenny10:10

Don't flood it. You're too eager.

Step closer to the edge of the dock, watching the movement of his hands on the flywheel.

💭 peek at the thought

That engine is the only thing he seems to trust these days. I wonder if he thinks the diesel is more reliable than we are.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:12

Not flooding. Just checking compression. Three blades, she'll catch.

Spin the flywheel once more, slow, feeling each cylinder bite. Then thumb the decompression lever closed, set the throttle cracked, and hit the starter button.

💭 peek at the thought

She knows that engine better than she lets on. Watched me nurse it through three winters in the shed. Her ankle's swelling again — can see the brace cutting in above the boot.

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

🌿 Jenny10:12

Come on, turn over. Just once.

Wipe sweat from my eyes with the back of a hand, watching the engine block for any sign of life.

💭 peek at the thought

If it doesn't turn over, I'm going to lose my mind. The heat is already too much.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:14

Bendix sticking. Give it a tap with the hammer while I hold the button.

Hold the starter engaged, reach for the ball-peen hammer on the gunwale, tap the starter motor body sharply twice — then release the button and listen.

💭 peek at the thought

Starter motor whines but the bendix isn't engaging — that worn spline Mickey warned me about. Battery's got juice, cables are clean. Just the bendix dragging.

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

🌿 Jenny10:14

Careful! You'll crack the housing.

Lean forward, holding my breath, listening for the sound of the diesel catching.

💭 peek at the thought

He's too aggressive with that hammer. One wrong strike and we're rowing.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin10:16

She's alive. Number two's dripping. Tighten the union nut when she warms.

Let the engine settle to idle, hand on the throttle lever ready to bump it if she hunts. Watch the exhaust for blue smoke.

💭 peek at the thought

Housing's cast iron. Hammer won't crack it. Bendix just needed the shock to seat the splines. Engine caught — running rough on one cylinder, white smoke from number two. Injector's still weeping.

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

🌿 Jenny10:16

She sounds steady enough. Now turn it off before you waste the fuel we're waiting for.

Step back from the dock edge and stretch my arms, glancing toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

Finally. Now he can stop obsessing over the bendix and maybe remember we haven't eaten since lunch.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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