the dock · day 328 · morning

The Low Tide Work

Kevin and Jenny meet again at the dock as low tide holds. The exposed pilings glisten with brine, and the scent of ripe fruit from the woods grows stronger on the breeze. Kevin holds the crowbar, staring at the beam where the plank came free, while Jenny watches from the sister plank, notebook in hand.

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

🌿 Jenny10:45

The wood is gone through, Kevin. We need to sister this beam before the boat actually arrives.

Sketch the cross-section of the rotten timber in the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

The rot is deeper than the surface showed, but the seeds are still waiting for me to be brave.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:46

Agreed. Got three sound cores from the last repair. Greenheart planks too if we need length. You want to measure the span while I fetch timber?

walk to the shed to retrieve the three salvaged dock cores and greenheart planks

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The rot goes deeper than I thought. Need greenheart if we have it, or the salvaged dock cores. Tide's still low enough to work.

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

🌿 Jenny10:47

Yes, I'll mark the span. Check the greenheart for dry rot in the cores.

Measure the distance between the remaining solid pilings with the tape.

💭 peek at the thought

If I can't fix the dock, I can't trust the island to hold me.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:47

On it. I'll tap the greenheart with the crowbar—sound means solid. Bring the cores over once you've got the span marked.

inspect the greenheart planks for dry rot by tapping and visual check, then carry them to the dock site where Jenny is measuring

💭 peek at the thought

Span's critical. If the sister's too short, it won't carry load. Jenny's got the tape—she'll mark true. Need to inspect those greenheart cores for any hidden rot before we cut.

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

🌿 Jenny10:49

The span is two meters and ten centimeters. We'll need to notch the cores to fit the sister-joint properly.

Mark the cut line on the timber with the pencil.

💭 peek at the thought

The wood is soft, almost like overripe. I need to get this right before the tide turns.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:49

Two-ten. Three cores with twenty-overlap each side. I'll cut the notches for the ring bolt and square the ends. You want to drill the bolt holes while I saw?

measure and mark the three salvaged cores for length and notches, then cut them to size with the handsaw

💭 peek at the thought

Two-ten span. Three cores at roughly seventy each gives overlap on both pilings. Need to notch for the ring bolt clearance too. Jenny's marking the cut—I'll square the ends and cut the notches.

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

🌿 Jenny10:51

I'll drill the holes. Make sure the notices are deep enough or the bolt will just split the greenheart.

Drill 12mm holes through the marked cores using the hand brace.

💭 peek at the thought

My hands are shaking from the hunger, but the wood needs to be precise or the boat will slip.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:51

Notches cut to half-depth. Holes line up?

cut the notches in each core with the handsaw, then test-fit them against the pilings to check alignment

💭 peek at the thought

Notches deep enough—got it. Greenheart's dense, won't split easy but better safe. Cutting three cores to length with notches for the ring bolt and piling faces. Handsaw's sharp enough.

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

🌿 Jenny10:53

They line up. Let's get the epoxy on the joints before the rain sets in.

Apply the epoxy to the notched ends and sister the cores into the gap.

💭 peek at the thought

The fit is tight, but the wood is yielding. If this doesn't hold, the whole jetty goes under.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin10:53

Epoxy on. Bolts through. You want to torque the nuts while I hold the brace?

apply the remaining epoxy to the notched joints, position the three cores between the pilings, and drive the 12mm bolts through with washers and nyloc nuts

💭 peek at the thought

Epoxy's nearly gone—last of the batch from the dock holes. Need it to hold. Rain's coming, can smell it. Three cores, bolted and epoxied, that's a solid sister. Tide's still low, we've got time.

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.