the dock · day 517 · morning

The rising tide

Kevin reaches for the cedar wedges to pack the gap in the sill while the first fingers of the returning tide lap at the pilings.

Kevin used the crowbar to lift the sagging dock joist just enough to slide a piece of scrap wood underneath as a brace. Jenny attempted to help but the pain in her ankle was too sharp, forcing her to step back while Kevin took the weight of the structure onto himself to stabilize it.

🌿 Jenny04:39

Wait. Check the gap first.

Lean forward, wincing as the ankle pulses, and point to the alignment of the sill.

💭 peek at the thought

He's rushing it. If he drives those in without checking the angle, he'll just split the beam further.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin04:40

Yeah. Let me look.

Kneel down and run my hand along the underside of the sill, feeling for high spots and gaps where the tide’s been working it loose. Check if the joist’s still bearing or if it’s hanging in air.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—can’t just wedge blind. If the sill’s twisted, forcing it will split the greenheart or leave a void that’ll work loose with the next surge. Need to see how the beams actually sit before I drive anything in.

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

🌿 Jenny04:41

It's unsupported. We need to shim it before we wedge it.

Reach into the tool bag and pull out a flat piece of scrap wood.

💭 peek at the thought

It's hanging. If we don't sister it now, the whole jetty will tilt when the boat hits it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:42

Hand me the crowbar. I’ll lift it slow.

Take the crowbar from Jenny, place the heel against the piling just beside the gap, and use the sill as a lever to raise the joist a fraction—enough to slide the scrap wood underneath as a temporary shim.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s got the scrap—good. If the joist’s hanging, we need to take the load off before we shim or wedge, or we’ll just crush the shim and be back where we started. Gotta lift it just enough to slide something solid underneath without wrecking the sill or straining her ankle more than it already is.

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

🌿 Jenny04:43

That's a brace, not a fix.

Watch the shim settle under the weight, feeling the throb in my ankle sync with the movement.

💭 peek at the thought

It's holding for now, but that wood is soft. It needs a proper sister when the boat comes.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:44

It’s holding for now. I’ll cut the sister while you keep the weight off it.

Keep steady pressure on the crowbar to maintain the lift, then reach for the greenheart offcut and the saw to measure and begin cutting the sister plank to span the gap and land solid on both pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—it’s only holding the weight for now. The tide’s coming in, and this shim’ll wash out or crush if we leave it. We need to sister the joist properly with greenheart, but we can’t do that with the joint under load. Gotta hold the lift, cut the sister to fit, then bolt it through before we release the pressure.

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

🌿 Jenny04:44

I'm not a structural support, Kevin.

Shift weight back onto the healthy leg and lean against the piling, keeping a cautious distance from the crowbar.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't "keep the weight off it" just by standing here. He thinks I'm a counterweight.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin04:46

Sorry. I’ll brace it myself.

Shift my weight onto the crowbar handle, using the piling as a fulcrum to hold the joist lifted, then signal Jenny to step back and rest her leg on the dry sand above the tide line.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s not wrong—I’ve been using her as a counterbalance without asking, and that’s not fair. I need to find another way to hold the lift so she can rest her ankle. The piling’s solid; I can brace the crowbar against it and use my weight, or rig a temporary tackle. Gotta get her clear before I hurt her more trying to fix this.

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.