the dock · day 309 · morning

Preparing the Sistering

Kevin returns to the dock with the greenheart timber and tools. The tide is beginning to turn, and the heat is intensifying across the pier.

Kevin cut the greenheart plank and held it in place while Jenny checked the rotten dock timber for softness. Kevin's sawing succeeded cleanly; Jenny's probe found the wood still too degraded for a reliable bond. The sister plank was not yet fastened.

🌿 Jenny15:17

The tide's coming back. We need to sister these now or the jetty won't hold the weight of the dinghy.

Close the notebook and wipe sweat from my brow with the back of a graphite hand.

💭 peek at the thought

He's brought the wood, but the rot goes deeper than a simple surface patch will fix.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:17

Got the saw and the plank. Sister the starboard side first — rot's deepest there.

Set the greenheart plank beside the dock, pull the reciprocating saw from the kit, and kneel to brace the timber against the rotted starboard support.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Tide's turning fast and that rot won't wait. Greenheart's dense enough to outlive us both if the epoxy bonds clean.

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

🌿 Jenny15:19

Hold that plank steady. I need to mark the overlap so we don't lose any length.

Kneel on the hot wood and use a pencil to mark a precise line across the greenheart and the old support.

💭 peek at the thought

If we don't get this right, the whole jetty will shear into the sea during the next swell.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:19

Mark's down. I'll follow it.

Grip the saw with both hands, align the blade to Jenny's pencil line, and begin a slow, steady cut through the greenheart, letting the teeth bite without forcing.

💭 peek at the thought

Good. Her eye for fit is sharper than mine after years at sea. Let her mark it — I'll cut true to her line.

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

🌿 Jenny15:21

Keep the line straight. If the blade binds, the joint won't sit flush.

Reach for the brush to clear the debris from the cut line as he works.

💭 peek at the thought

The wood is dense, it's fighting back just like the rest of this island.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:21

Blade's tracking.

Keep the saw running straight and level through the greenheart, shoulders square to the cut, letting the blade eat at its own pace while Jenny brushes the line clean ahead of it.

💭 peek at the thought

Dust in the kerf means a loose joint. She knows. Let her clear it — my job's the cut.

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

🌿 Jenny15:23

Good. Once you're through, I need to check the Face of the rot again.

Watch the tide line as it creeps back up the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

He's actually listening to the saw for once, but the heat is stifling.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:23

Cut's done. Your turn.

Set the saw down, blow dust off the fresh-cut end of the greenheart, and hold the plank in position against the starboard support so Jenny can test the fit and inspect the rot face.

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's not waiting. Once this sister's fitted and bolted, the dock holds. If the rot's deeper than we marked, we'll know when the bolt bites.

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

🌿 Jenny15:24

Hold it right there. I need to see if the epoxy will actually bond to whatever is left.

Press a finger into the grain of the original support to check for further softness.

💭 peek at the thought

The fit is tight, but the wood underneath is still crumbling like wet cardboard.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:25

Soft?

Keep steady pressure on the greenheart plank, bracing it with my knee and shoulder, and watch Jenny's hand as she probes the original timber for give or crumble.

💭 peek at the thought

She's probing for punk. If it gives, we go deeper. If not, we sister and pray the epoxy seals it.

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

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