the dock · day 935 · dawn

Tide window for the final plank

Kevin stands knee-deep in the falling tide at the seaward end of the dock, the last greenheart plank staged beside the open mortise where the rotted fourth plank came out. Jenny sits on a barnacled crate at the landward edge, ankle propped on a driftwood splint, a notebook open on her lap but her eyes on the water line creeping back toward the work. The barometer reads 1011 hPa and rising; the trade wind holds steady from the northeast, giving them perhaps two hours before the flood pushes back under the stringers.

Kevin secured the final greenheart plank with the last 150mm stainless through-bolt, torquing it to 35Nm as the tide lapped the lower pilings. Jenny gathered her seed tin and notebook while Kevin helped her back to the cottage, the dock repair complete just before the flood tide would have made the work impossible.

🔧 Kevin03:32

Last plank. Two hours until the flood. Hand me the 150mm through-bolt and washers.

Position the greenheart sister plank into the open mortise at the seaward end, align the pre-drilled holes with the stringer, and drive the 150mm stainless through-bolt with washers and nyloc nut, torquing to 35Nm.

💭 peek at the thought

Two hours of falling tide. The greenheart's straight grain and pre-drilled bolt holes mean this goes clean if I don't rush the mortise fit. Jenny's watching the water, not the notebook — she knows the rhythm as well as I do.

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

🌿 Jenny03:33

Hurry, Kevin. The water is already touching the lower pilings.

Jenny watches the water lap the wood, her hand tightening around her pencil as a throb radiates from her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide is coming in faster than the forecast; if he doesn't seat that bolt now, the whole jetty will shift when the surge hits.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:34

Toss me the bolt from the shutter. Underhand — don't wet the threads.

Catch the bolt Jenny throws, feed it through the aligned greenheart and stringer holes, add the washer and nyloc nut, and torque to 35Nm with the 19mm socket.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — the tide turns faster than it feels. Bolt's staged at the east shutter. No time to walk it.

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

🌿 Jenny03:35

It's seated. Tighten it until the wood doesn't budge.

way leans back against the cottage wall, watching him through the salt spray while her ankle pulses with every wave.

💭 peek at the thought

If that bolt doesn't hold the pressure, the next spring tide will take the dock and I'll lose the boat.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin03:36

Done. Ring's solid. Get your gear — we move now.

Give the bolt a final check with the wrench, then turn and walk back toward the cottage at a pace Jenny can match, eyes on the water line.

💭 peek at the thought

Wood's seating. Nut's biting. One more firm turn and the joint locks. Water's climbing the piling — six inches since she spoke.

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

🌿 Jenny03:37

I'm coming.

way stands up slowly, wincing as the weight shifts onto her good leg, and gathers her notebook and the tin of seeds from the crate.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks fixing a plank fixes the world, but the island is already looking for the next weakness.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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