the dock · day 490 · evening

The Rising Tide

The tide is rising steadily, threatening to flood the lower sections of the dock while Kevin and Jenny prepare the tools for the repair once the water turns out.

Kevin returns to the dock with the crowbar to pry at the north-side planks, exposing the extent of the rot while Jenny sits on the porch, elevating her ankle on a crate and focusing on her notebook as the tide continues to lap higher against the pilings.

🌿 Jenny01:21

The tide is coming in fast, Kevin. Move the dinghy higher up.

Sketch the rot pattern on the north own in the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

If that water hits the rotten planks, the whole jetty is going to shear off before the boat even arrives.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:23

On it. Hand me the bow line—I'll warp her to the winch post. You sit, keep the weight off.

grab the bow line from the dinghy and walk it forward to the winch post on the dock, taking the strain to pull the dinghy clear of the rising water.

💭 peek at the thought

The water's climbing faster than I thought—need to get the dinghy clear before it floats against the pilings. Jenny's right, but she shouldn't be sketching with that ankle. I'll take the line and move her inside after this.

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

🌿 Jenny01:24

way with the winch, the post is honeyed inside.

Lean against the cottage wall and sketch the grain of the decaying wood.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks he's being helpful, but the wood is too soft for that tension.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:25

Winch post's gone. I'll drag her up the beach by hand. You—get inside and off that ankle.

unclip the bow line from the winch post, coil it, then haul the dinghy bow-up onto the shingle beach above the tide line, using the keel as a skid.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right—the winch post is rotten too. Can't trust it. I'll hand-haul the dinghy up the beach instead, above the high tide line. She's still on her feet when she should be sitting.

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

🌿 Jenny01:26

fine. just don't complain when the bottom is gouged out by rocks.

Watch him struggle with the boat, then limp toward the cottage to elevate the leg.

💭 peek at the thought

he's going to ruin the hull dragging it over the shingle.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:27

Noted. Get the leg up.

muscle the dinghy up the beach past the high-water mark, keel grinding on shingle, then tie the painter off to a boulder above the strand line.

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong—the shingle'll chew the keel. But the tide waits for no one. I'll live with the gouges; she lives with the ankle. Both of us choosing the lesser damage.

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

🌿 Jenny01:27

I'm going.

Sit on the porch, prop the leg up on a crate, and open the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

at least the boat is off the water, but my ankle feels like it's in a vice.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:29

—

walk back down the beach to the dock, crowbar in hand, and start prying at the suspect planks on the north side to expose the rot extent before the tide rises further.

💭 peek at the thought

Good. She's off it. Now I can check the dock planks properly while the tide's still got slack. Need to see how far the rot runs under the north beam before the water covers it.

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.