the dock · day 27 · dawn

The Morning Tide Rising

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the tide begins to lap the pilings. Kevin lays the spare spark plug beside the dinghy engine while Jenny sets the bowl of boiled limpets and sea beet on the workbench.

The engine coughs then settles into a steady, rhythmic idle as the new spark plug catches the fuel. The tide is already licking at the pilings of the dock, making the waterlogged crate shift and groan precariously on the wet planks.

🔧 Kevin21:33

Engine first. Then radio schedule. Mortar can wait for the heat to break.

Kneel beside the dinghy engine, fit the spare spark plug, prime the bulb, and pull the starter cord.

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's coming up fast. Need the engine test done before the water gets any higher on the planks. Spark plug's clean, fuel's fresh from the crate tins. If she fires at idle I'll put her under load — see if the float needle holds.

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

🌿 Jenny21:33

The humidity is too high for the epoxy anyway. It wouldn't set properly.

Pick up a fork and eat a piece of limpet, watching him struggle with the cord.

💭 peek at the thought

way's always so focused on the mechanical side of surviving while the salt eats the wood.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:34

Kevin — pull the starter cord again, harder this time, listening for the catch.

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong about the epoxy. Humidity's been brutal on cure times. Engine's turning over — compression feels good. One more pull should catch.

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

🌿 Jenny21:35

Take a breath, Kevin.

Lean against the workbench, chewing slowly, eyes on the spark plug gap.

💭 peek at the thought

He's going to snap the cord if he keeps jerking it like that.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin21:36

Kevin — set the starter handle down, roll my shoulders, and wait thirty seconds before pulling again — slower, deliberate.

💭 peek at the thought

Right. Breathing helps. Flooded it pulling too fast. Let the cylinder clear.

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

🌿 Jenny21:37

There you go.

Watch the engine closely, waiting for the first sputter of combustion.

💭 peek at the thought

Better. Just a steady pull, not a fight.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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