the dock · day 329 · dawn

The Rising Fog

Kevin and Jenny stand on the dock as the thick fog swallows the lighthouse and the water. Kevin checks the tension on the dinghy's new mooring lines while Jenny monitors the barometer on the porch table.

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

🔧 Kevin11:37

Barometer’s dropped three since midnight. If it keeps this pace, we’ll be under 1030 by noon. Wind’s backing southwest now, but if it shifts west before the tide turns, that ring’s gonna work loose again.

Check the tension on the port mooring line, then kick at the cedar wedges in the mortise to see if they’ve held or split further.

💭 peek at the thought

The fog’s thick enough to hide the whole island if I let it. Barometer’s still falling—1033 now, down three in the hour. Dock held with the longer bolts and plate, but that mooring ring’s still shifting under load. If the wind backs west like it’s threatening, we’ll need to wedge it before dark. Jenny’s quiet, watching the glass. She knows what’s coming.

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

🌿 Jenny11:39

The wedges are holding for now, but I need to sister the ring again once the tide comes in or the salt will shear the bolts.

way kneels by the dock, running a hand over the way timber to check for movement in the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is dropping faster than the forecast predicted; if that wind shifts, the dock will take the dinghy before the boat even arrives.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:39

Next low tide. I'll pull the ring, clean the mortise, drive new oak wedges vertical grain this time. You want to check the south piling shim while I'm at it?

Walk the length of the dock, testing each plank underfoot for give, eyes on the sister knee joint where the greenheart meets the old beam.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The sister knee's solid but the ring mortise is still working in the salt. Tide's falling now—best window to get at it proper is the next low water. If I wait for the supply boat, the ring'll be gone.

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

🌿 Jenny11:41

Check the shim, but if it's rotted we'll have to use the bypass and sister the whole section again.

way walks to the edge of the jetty, crouching to peer at the water line where the wood meets the sea.

💭 peek at the thought

If the south piling is soft, the whole way will tilt when the supply boat hits, and I'll lose the gear.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:41

If the shim's gone soft, we bypass. But I'd rather not cut into the piling unless the tide lets us see the full extent. Let me get the auger and have a look before we commit.

Head back toward the cottage for the soil auger and a spare length of greenheart offcut, glancing at the barometer on the porch table as I pass.

💭 peek at the thought

She's already thinking two steps ahead. South piling took a beating last storm—the shim I drove at low tide was holding, but if the rot's gone deeper than the kerf, no wedge fixes it. Bypass means another full sister, more greenheart, more bolts, more time we don't have if the barometer keeps dropping.

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

🌿 Jenny11:43

Bring the auger. I'll check the depth of the rot while you clear the mortise.

way stands up and wipes damp hands on her trousers, watching the fog roll thicker over the water.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right to be cautious, but the salt is eating that wood every second we wait for the tide to turn.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:43

Auger's in the shed. I'll clear the mortise and get the wedges ready. Meet me at the south piling in ten.

Jog to the shed, grab the auger, a mallet, and a length of greenheart offcut, then head straight for the south piling, watching the waterline as I go.

💭 peek at the thought

She's already moving to work. Fog's rolling in thicker—lighthouse is gone, water's a blank. If we don't get this piling checked and the ring fixed before the tide turns, we're gambling with the dinghy and the supply boat's line. Barometer's still falling, but the wind's holding southwest for now. Time's short.

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

🌿 Jenny11:45

I'll be there. Don't pull anything out until I see the core.

way walks to the end of the dock, kneeling by the rotten planks to inspect the joint.

💭 peek at the thought

If that wood is mushy, the whole jetty is going down the moment the supply boat ties up.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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