the dock · day 372 · morning

The Tide Begins to Rise

The flat sky thickens as the wind picks up slightly. Kevin crawls out from under the dinghy, while Jenny watches the water creep toward the dock edge.

Kevin attempted to shim and bolt the dinghy's mast bracket but the rising tide forced him to abandon the work before the bolts were properly torqued. Jenny sorted heirloom tomato seeds at the dock before limping to the cottage to treat her infected ankle.

🌿 Jenny06:27

The tide is coming in fast, Kevin. Watch the pilings.

Picks up a handful of heirloom tomato seeds from the tin and begins sorting them into a small glass jar.

💭 peek at the thought

If that tide rises any faster, he won't be able to reach the seaward bolts without getting soaked to the waist.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:27

Got it. Twenty minutes, tops.

crawl back under the dinghy with the stainless shim stock and through-bolts, wedge the 0.5mm shim under the mast bracket heel, and start threading the longer 10mm bolts through the reinforced holes while the water's still low enough to work

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's turned. Water's already licking the dock beams. I've got maybe twenty minutes before the bracket's underwater and I can't torque the bolts proper. Need to shim it now or the vibration'll shake the Yanmar apart first time we load it.

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

🌿 Jenny06:29

Don't force the bolts. We don't have spares of that size.

Presses a thumb against the throbbing ankle to dull the pain, focused on the tiny gold-colored seeds in her palm.

💭 peek at the thought

He's moving too fast; if he strips those threads, the whole mast goes in next storm.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:29

Not forcing. Just seating.

torque the through-bolts to finger-tight plus a quarter turn with the ring spanner, check the bracket alignment by eye against the transom, then slide out from under the hull as water reaches the gunwale

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Stripped threads in greenheart mean drilling and tapping oversize — no time for that now. Snug is enough. The shim takes the flex; bolts just hold it there.

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

🌿 Jenny06:31

Come in before you get completely soaked. The rain is turning.

Sets the jar of tomato seeds down and stands up, limping toward the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

At least he's not stripping them. My leg feels like it's on fire.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:31

Right behind you.

grab the tool roll, kick the dinghy's painter clear of the prop, and walk up the dock to the cottage porch, wiping hands on thighs

💭 peek at the thought

Bracket's seated. Shim's holding. Bolts snug. Vibration won't be fixed till we sea-trial under load, but it'll hold. Rain's cold now. She's favouring the left leg bad — streaks past the brace line by noon if the cephalexin hasn't caught up.

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

🌿 Jenny06:33

There's water on the stove.

Pulls the fabric over her swollen ankle to hide the red line climbing up her calf.

💭 peek at the thought

He's shivering. I'm trying to hide the fact that I'm the one actually rotting here.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:33

I'll take over. You sit.

move Jenny gently to the chair by the table, lift her swollen foot onto a stool, and start unwrapping the gauze from her ankle to see how far the red's climbed

💭 peek at the thought

Water's boiling. She's hiding the streak — it's already above the mid-calf line. Cephalexin's not working. Three days to the supply boat. If it tracks past the knee by tonight, medevac at first light. No waiting.

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.