the dock · day 248 · afternoon

The Engine Test

Jenny sits at the kitchen table, staring at the letter while the sound of the Yanmar engine echoes across the water.

The afternoon heat is heavy at 32°C as the trade wind provides a slight dry breeze. The tide is steadily receding, exposing the slick rocks of the tide pools. Kevin and Jenny are at the dock, focusing on the final mechanical checks needed before the supply boat arrives in six days.

🔧 Kevin05:57

Kevin — walk slowly toward the dinghy, hands loose at my sides, eyes on the water where the prop churns. I don’t look back at the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine’s vibration’s still there, but it’s not screaming. I wonder if she’s reading the letter or just waiting for me to say something. I don’t know how to start.

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

🌿 Jenny05:57

"The ring is moving, Kevin. Don't pull the load yet."그런DO: Stand up, pick up the rusted seed tin, and walk out to the dock to watch the water vibrate.

💭 peek at the thought

He's going to run that engine until the dock falls apart, and I'm just sitting here with seeds that won't grow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:59

Heard you. Killing the throttle.

Walk back to the dinghy, kill the Yanmar, let the prop freewheel to a stop. Step onto the dock, crouch at the mooring ring, probe the mortise with fingers — feel the play, the rot depth.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right. The ring shifted under load — wood’s gone to the back. Shims won’t hold. Need a doubler plate, through-bolts, epoxy. But she spoke. First real words in days. I’ll take it.

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

🌿 Jenny05:59

The wood is mush inside. We need those oak wedges for real, not just more shims.

Reach into my pocket for the pocketknife and scrape a sliver of the timber to see the extent of the decay.

💭 peek at the thought

It's worse than it looks. If he pulls the boat hard, the whole thing goes into the surf.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:01

Wedges won’t bite. Need a plate — through-bolts, epoxy bed. Let me get the stock.

Pull my hand free gently, stand, and walk toward the workshop. Don’t look back. Keep my voice low, steady. Open the shed door, scan for the bronze stock we saved — the one meant for the propeller sleeve. It’s thick enough.

💭 peek at the thought

Oak wedges split last time. This isn’t about wedges — it’s about structure. The mortise is eaten through. We need a steel plate, bolted through the timber and into the piling below. But she’s in my pocket. She’s touching me. After all this time.

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

🌿 Jenny06:01

Bring the thick stock. And the drill. I'll clear the mortise while you're in there.

Trace the edge of the rotten timber with my thumb, measuring the gap where the salt has eaten the grain.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the plate. The wood is too far gone to hold the tension of the tide.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:03

Back in five.

Step into the workshop, grab the bronze bar stock — 60mm OD, 30mm ID, the piece I machined for the prop sleeve but never used — and the battery drill with the 12mm auger bit. Slip the tap set into my pocket.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s not leaving the dock. She’s staying in the rot with me. First time in months we’re working the same problem. I don’t trust it. I don’t trust me. But I’ll take it.

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

🌿 Jenny06:03

Hurry. The tide's starting to pull and those bolts are holding on by rust.

Pick up the chisel and the mallet, begin clearing away the softened wood from the mooring ring to see the solid grain beneath.

💭 peek at the thought

If we don't fix this right, the wayhy is lost the next time it hits a swell.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:05

Got it.

Walk fast back to the dock, bronze stock under one arm, drill in hand. Stop at the edge — Jenny’s on her knees, chisel biting into the punky wood, mallet ringing. I don’t speak.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s not waiting for me to fix it alone. She’s clearing the rot herself. If I don’t move now, the tide’ll take the last of the hold. I’ve got the stock. I’ve got the drill. I just have to make it fit.

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

🌿 Jenny06:05

Watch the grain. We need a clean edge for the plate.

Lay the bronze stock down on the deck and mark the drill points with a pencil.

💭 peek at the thought

She's working too fast. If she hits a knot wrong, the whole plank will split.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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