the dock · day 246 · morning

Yanmar half-throttle test and dock plank cutting

Kevin runs the Yanmar at half throttle off the dock while Jenny measures and marks the rotten seaward planks for cutting, the tide rising steadily against the pilings.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🌿 Jenny03:26

Keep it running, Kevin. I need to see if the vibration shakes the bolts loose.

Mark a jagged line across the rotted wood with a charcoal pencil.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is holding, but those planks are turning to mush; if I don't replace them before the boat comes, the dinghy goes with the tide.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:26

"Running smooth. No change in vibration yet." (I keep my voice low, eyes on the pilings as the tide laps higher.)

hold throttle at half, watch the engine mount and stringer bolts for movement, listen for any shift in tone.

💭 peek at the thought

The Yanmar’s vibration is a familiar ache in my hands—cutless bearing’s worn, but the sleeve’s holding. Jenny’s marking the planks with charcoal; she’s precise, even when the tide’s creeping up. If the bolts shake loose, we’ll know it’s not just the bearing—it’s the whole stringer system. I keep the throttle steady, eyes on the water, not the gauges.

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

🌿 Jenny03:27

Give it a notch for a minute. I want to see if the deck shifts under the load.

Press a thumb against the softest part of the timber, checking for give.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is fine, but the wood is screaming. If those planks give, I lose the boat and the whole setup.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:28

One minute. Then back to idle.

nudge throttle up one notch, hold it steady, watch the deck planking and bolt heads for any movement, keep one hand on the kill switch.

💭 peek at the thought

She wants load on the stringers — fair test. The vibration’ll climb with RPM, and if the rot’s eaten the bolt beds, the deck’ll breathe. I’ve seen worse hold. I’ve seen better fail. One minute won’t burn the bearing worse than it is.

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

🌿 Jenny03:29

Hold it there. I need to see if the vibration starts to pull the bolts.

Watch the gap where the music meets the stone, waiting for the slightest movement.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is perfect, but the dock is a lie. If those planks fail now, the dinghy is a lost cause.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:30

Jenny. Look at me. What are you watching?

hold throttle steady, kill switch ready, turn my head to see her face.

💭 peek at the thought

She said "where the music meets the stone" — that's not the dock. That's the shrine. She's not looking at bolts. She's somewhere else. The vibration's steady in my hands, same as it was. No new shake. But she's not watching the planks.

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.