the dock · day 490 · afternoon

Afternoon Heat and Rising Tide

The sun beats down on the dock as the tide begins its slow turn inward, water lapping at the rotted north pilings.

Kevin stands at the north end of the dock, watching the tide lap higher against the pilings. He has used the crowbar to pry at the wood, revealing a soft, dark interior where the heartwood has rotted away. Jenny leans against the railing, shifting her weight off her throbbing ankle as she watches him work, sketching the decay pattern in her notebook.

🔧 Kevin01:09

Jenny, I’m going to inspect the north pilings before the tide turns full.

walk up to the dock, crouch at the north end, and probe the rotted pilings with the crowbar to test for softness and depth of decay.

💭 peek at the thought

The north pilings are rotted again—need to check if the wedges still hold or if the tide’s eating them from below.

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

🌿 Jenny01:10

Watch the pressure; the wood looks more like way than it did last week.

Lean against the dock railing, shifting weight away from my ankle, and watch the crowbar sink into the timber.

💭 peek at the thought

If those pilings go, the whole jetty goes with them when the boat hits hard.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:10

Rot's past the splash zone. Heartwood's gone. Need to sister it before the supply boat—can't risk the dock collapsing under their weight.

pull the crowbar free, wipe salt from the tip, and measure the rot depth with a knife blade to see how much sound timber's left above the waterline.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right—crowbar went in like butter. Rot's eaten past the tide line into the heartwood. If that piling goes, the whole north corner drops.

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

🌿 Jenny01:11

We'll have to use the spare planks from the crate if they're salvageable.

Pull the notebook from my waist and sketch the cross-section of the piling to show him the decay pattern.

💭 peek at the thought

We don't have enough dry wood for a proper sistering if the rot is that deep.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:12

Greenheart's tough. If the cores held, we can sister with those. But we need low tide to bolt them proper—four hours out.

stand, brush sawdust from knees, and walk to the driftwood pile near the beach to check the crate planks for usable lengths.

💭 peek at the thought

She's thinking ahead—good. The crate planks are salt-crusted but the greenheart cores might still be sound if the rot didn't penetrate the grain.

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

🌿 Jenny01:13

I'll start making sure the tools are ready so we don't waste a minute when it drops.

Sit, feeling the throbbing heat of the infection, and watch the water receding from the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

Four hours is a long time to wait with this leg in the heat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:15

Tools are in the shed—bolts, drill, epoxy. I'll get the planks. You rest that ankle until we're ready to lift.

jog to the driftwood tangle, heave aside plastic and bleached wood, and haul two greenheart planks from the crate onto the sand—inspect ends for rot with the knife tip.

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving despite the pain—don't need to say it, just see her jaw tighten when the water pulls back. Tide's falling now. We've got a window.

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

🌿 Jenny01:15

Check the ends for me. If they're soft, we're back to the drawing board.

Lean back against the cottage wall, sigh, and open the notebook to see if I can focus on the salt-bladder sketch instead of the pain.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the rest. My leg feels like it's melting.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:17

Ends are sound. Heartwood held. Two twelve-footers—port and starboard of the piling. We'll bolt through at low slack.

drag the planks up the beach toward the dock, leaving them staged at the north corner, then fetch the heavy drill, 12mm auger bit, and stainless bolts from the shed.

💭 peek at the thought

Knife bites clean at both ends—greenheart's still iron-hard under the salt crust. Two solid twelve-foot lengths. Enough to sister the piling both sides.

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

🌿 Jenny01:18

Good. Keep the bolts dry on the porch, don't want them rusting before we start.

Trace the outline of a salt-bladder in the notebook, trying to steady my hand despite the throb in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If those planks are solid, we might save the jetty. I need to breathe.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:18

Bolts on the porch, covered. Drill's charged. Epoxy tub's got dregs—enough for the bolt holes if we mix it thin.

set the drill and bit on the porch table under the tarp, pour the last of the epoxy into a clean tin, and add a splash of diesel to thin it for the holes.

💭 peek at the thought

Salt on bolts is a slow death—she's right to keep them dry. Tide's still dropping. Another hour to full slack. Time to set the stage.

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

🌿 Jenny01:19

mix it well. We don't want it drying out before we get the bolts in.

Close the notebook, rub my eyes, and watch the tide pull further from the dock.

💭 peek at the thought

If the epoxy is too thick, it won't take in the salt air.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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