the keeper's cottage · day 914 · afternoon

Midday meeting at the cottage

The hard wind out of the south-east continues to bring spray off the reef. The tide is high, making the dock work difficult for now.

Kevin cleaned the Yanmar raw water pump housing, finding the bronze adapter seats properly despite pitting, then completed the upper lifts on the north garden wall gap closure using lime mortar. Jenny ate the remaining limpets for breakfast and sketched the salt-crusted stonework while monitoring her swollen ankle.

🔧 Kevin13:22

Radio check at the hour. I'm at the cottage.

walk into the kitchen, pull the shortwave log from the shelf, and set the radio to 2182 kHz for the scheduled check

💭 peek at the thought

Wind's steadying from the southeast. Tide's high enough the dock work's pointless — water's slapping the underside of the stringers. Should check the Yanmar housing bore again while the impeller's still out, see if the pitting's cleaned up any with the vinegar soak. Jenny's at the north ridge; she'll want the radio schedule kept.

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

🌿 Jenny13:23

I'm coming.

limp slowly from the porch into the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

I'm starving and my ankle is pulsing. I can't stand the sound of that radio static right now.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:25

Good. Barometer's steady at 1010.

walk to the workbench, grab the flashlight, and start cleaning the Yanmar housing bore with a wire brush while the radio checks in

💭 peek at the thought

She's made it. Good. The tide's holding, but the spray's getting into the dock work. Need to get that Yanmar housing cleaned before we lose daylight.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny13:25

I need to eat.

reach for the pot of limpets on the stove.

💭 peek at the thought

He's ignoring me. Just focusing on the metal. I can't even think about the barometer when my stomach is cramping.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:26

Eat. I'll be at the bench.

keep scrubbing the Yanmar housing bore with the wire brush, flashlight beam tight on the pitting, listening for the radio

💭 peek at the thought

She's hungry. The limpets are ready. I'll eat after the housing's clean — can't afford to lose the light on the dock work.

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

🌿 Jenny13:26

Jenny — pour the remaining limpets into a tin mug and eat them slowly, leaning heavily against the counter.

💭 peek at the thought

Typical. "Eat," like it's a command. He doesn't even look up to see how I'm walking.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:29

Radio's quiet. Barometer held at 1010 through the high tide.

wipe the housing clean with a rag, check the pitting depth with the feeler gauge, then walk to the dock ladder to inspect the tell-tales at the high tide mark

💭 peek at the thought

She's eating. Good. The housing's cleaner now, pitting less pronounced with the vinegar soak. Should have enough daylight to finish the dock inspection at low tide.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny13:29

Jenny — sit at the kitchen table, propping my foot up on a chair.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so obsessed with the numbers while I'm barely standing. My ankle is throbbing in time with the waves.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:30

Housing's clean. Adapter seats. Wall's next.

walk to the garden with the lime bucket and pointing trowel, start the upper lifts on the north wall gap closure

💭 peek at the thought

She's settling. The housing bore's clean enough — pitting's surface only, no through-wall corrosion. The bronze adapter will seat fine. Tide's turning, dock tell-tales show no movement. Should get the upper lifts on the north wall done while the mortar's workable.

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

🌿 Jenny13:30

Jenny — watch him through the window, then slowly reach for my sketchbook.

💭 peek at the thought

He just walks away. No "how's your leg," no "do you need help." Just the wall. Everything is just a task to be completed.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin13:32

Kevin — lay the second course of stone on the north wall gap, buttering each joint with lime mortar, checking plumb with the level

💭 peek at the thought

She's sketching. Good — means the ankle's not taking all her attention. Mortar's holding, wall's taking the upper lifts clean. Two more courses and the gap's closed. Tide's dropping, wind's steady southeast. Radio check in twenty minutes.

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

🌿 Jenny13:33

Jenny — sketch the way the light hits the salt-crusted stone, my pencil scratching loud against the paper.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so methodical with the stones. It's easier to build a wall than to deal with a house full of silence and a swollen ankle.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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