the dock · day 693 · afternoon

Preparations for the Supply Boat

The sun begins to dip as the tide reaches its lowest point, increasing tension for tomorrow's arrival.

Kevin and Jenny spent the afternoon at the dock assessing the structural integrity of the pilings before the supply boat's arrival. They identified the extent of the rot in the south section while the tide exposed the wood.

🌿 Jenny23:07

The tide is out far enough. Look at the rot on that south piling.

make sketch: rot patterns on the southings.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is dropping too fast. If that boat doesn't show up, I'm moving the seeds to the ridge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:09

Past the brace. Into the clean wood.

walk to south end of dock, crouch at piling base, probe rot line with screwdriver blade, measure exposed sound timber above sister brace with finger span

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Low tide shows the real damage — that rot's climbed another handspan since last week, past the sister brace into the sound wood above it. The greenheart's holding but the piling above it won't last another winter.

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

🌿 Jenny23:10

It's cleaner than I thought. We need to check the other three before the tide comes back.

record the depth of the decay in the garden log.

💭 peek at the thought

If the rot goes deeper than the brace, the whole jetty won't hold the next surge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:10

North first. Shim line held last check. East took the beating. West won't show till we dig.

walk north along dock, test each piling with screwdriver at waterline and brace height, kick planks for hollow sound, call out findings to Jenny

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving slow on that ankle but she's moving. The other three pilings — north's shimmed, east took the last storm's brunt, west is buried in mud. If the rot's jumped the brace on south, the others need eyes on them before high water hides it again.

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

🌿 Jenny23:12

Check the shims carefully. I'll debride this own while the light holds.

stand up and walk toward the cottage for the saline kit.

💭 peek at the thought

If the west side is soft, the whole structure will tilt when the boat tries to dock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:12

North shims holding. No new crush. East piling — rot at brace level, half-inch deep. West — can't reach the mudline yet.

crouch at north piling, probe shim gaps with blade, tap each shim with hammer handle listening for movement, move to east piling and probe rot at brace, mark depth with chalk, walk to west end and assess mudline exposure

💭 peek at the thought

She's walking it off. Good. The ankle's been weeping less since the sea beet poultice. Shims on north — three greenheart, tapered, driven at the last spring tide. Held through two blows. But if the rot's moving on south, the load's shifted. North takes more now.

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

🌿 Jenny23:13

Keep an eye on those east shims. If they shift, we need to reinforce the base.

sit on the porch steps and prepare the saline soak for the ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

Half an inch on the east is manageable, but if the west is a hollow, we're in trouble.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:14

East is sistered, not shimmed. Bolts sound. Rot's surface only — half inch, clean. West piling needs the mud cleared at low water tomorrow.

tap east sister bolts with wrench checking for movement, chalk-mark rot limits on east face, walk back toward cottage, glance at Jenny's ankle from dock end

💭 peek at the thought

East shims aren't shims — it's a greenheart sister plank bolted through, not wedged. She's thinking of north. Or she's tired and the words came out wrong. Either way, the east sister's solid. Two 150mm stainless through-bolts, washers, nylocs. Rot's at the brace face, not behind it. Half-inch deep, clean margins. That's work for tomorrow's tide window.

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

🌿 Jenny23:15

I'll get the shovel ready for the mud. We need to see what the tide is hiding.

unwrap the bandage and soak the ankle in the salt water.

💭 peek at the thought

If the bolts are sound, the sister should hold the weight. I just hope the west isn't rotted through.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:15

Shovel's in the shed. Spring low 0640 tomorrow. Two hours to dig west and sister if needed. Supply boat ETA high tide — 1000 if the forecast holds.

walk back up dock to shore, climb porch steps, set down screwdriver and chalk on table, pour coffee from kettle into tin mug, sit on porch edge facing dock

💭 peek at the thought

Mud at west piling hides the real rot line. Always does. Shovel's in the shed by the generator. Need the tide low enough tomorrow to dig — spring low's at 0640, gives us two hours before it turns. She's soaking the ankle proper now. Salt water first, then fresh poultice. The red line hasn't moved in three days.

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.