Day 317

South Piling Shim and Rising Storm

Dawn found Kevin and Jenny on the reinforced planks as the tide fell from the south pilings. The barometer read 1033 hPa and dropping. Kevin tested the bolts — sound — but the greenheart toe sat hollowed by scour, deeper than it looked from above. He kerfed a tapered shim from greenheart offcut. Jenny sketched the stress fractures running vertical from the bolt holes. "It's hollowed out," she said. "We need to shim it before the supply boat arrives."

At low water Kevin drove the shim with a mallet while Jenny watched the bolt line. "Holding the shim. You watch the bolt line — if she shifts, call it." The shim seated. No bolt movement. "Jetty feels solid underfoot."

Back at the cottage the air pressed heavy. Kevin ran the Yanmar in the dinghy, chasing the vibration fix. By midday verification reached 40%. Jenny spread heirloom seeds from the rusted tin — damp at the basil edges, mostly viable. She sketched sea beet morphology and salt gland cross-sections.

Afternoon brought no relief. Kevin gave up on a repair after three failed attempts. Evening cooled with an easterly breeze but the barometer kept falling. Kevin secured the mooring ring and generator. Jenny moved the seed tins inside. "The barometer is falling. We need to get the seeds inside for good." They ate, listened to the ozone smell rising from the coast, and waited for rain.

Scenes

the dock · dawn

The Low Tide Inspection

Kevin and Jenny stand on the reinforced planks as the tide recedes from the south pilings. The air is heavy and still, and the barometer continues its drop from 1033 hPa.

Kevin tested the south piling bolts and found them holding, but the greenheart toe remains hollowed out by scour. He kerfed a tapered shim from greenheart offcut to support the toe. Jenny sketched the stress fractures in the exposed timber and confirmed the void needs shimming before the supply boat arrives.

🔧 Kevin00:05

Scour's deeper. Bolt line's exposed on the seaward face.

crouch at the south piling, scrape weed back with the crowbar tip to expose the steel bolts and the greenheart toe

💭 thought

The piling's showing worse scour than last month — water's eating under the sister plank's toe. If the next blow comes from the southeast, the whole dock walks. Need to see the bolt line before I decide on wedges or a full sister.

🌿 Jenny00:06

Check the tension on the bolts. If they wobble, the whole section goes.

Step back from the edge of the dock, watching the water pull around the pilings.

💭 thought

The wood is going to give way eventually, no matter how many wedges he hammers in.

🔧 Kevin00:07

Bolts first. Then the toe.

fit the heavy wrench onto the lowest through-bolt nut, apply steady pressure to test for movement, watch the greenheart joint for any give

💭 thought

She's right — the bolts tell the real story. If the nuts shift under a wrench, the greenheart's floating on void. Tide's dropping fast; got twenty minutes before the bolt heads are clear enough to test.

🌿 Jenny00:07

Be careful. If you snap the nut, we don't have another one.

Lean against the garden wall, watching the way the water swirls under the wood.

💭 thought

If those bolts are sheared, the whole jetty won't hold the dinghy.

🔧 Kevin00:08

Got it. Slow pressure only.

slide the short pipe over the wrench handle for leverage, turn the nut counterclockwise a quarter-turn, feel for resistance or sudden give, then reverse to snug it back without over-torquing

💭 thought

Snap the nut and we lose the sister plank — the dock's already compromised. Better to use the pipe for slow torque than muscle. She's watching the swirls; I can see it in her eyes — she's thinking about the garden tarp, the seed beds, how much we've already lost to rot.

🌿 Jenny00:09

It's holding for now. Don't over-tighten.

Pull the notebook from my pocket and sketch the stress fractures in the exposed timber.

💭 thought

He's fighting the rot, but the wood is already soft inside.

🔧 Kevin00:10

Stress lines run vertical from the bolt hole up. Sister's taking the load, but the toe's still unsupported.

close the notebook gently, hand it back to Jenny, then probe the scoured void under the toe with the crowbar tip to feel for solid timber or just silt and rotten fibers

💭 thought

She's got my notebook — must've lifted it when I bent over the bolt. She's marking the fractures like they're words. If the timber's splitting along the grain, the load's already transferred wrong. We're not just measuring scour — we're reading how the wood fails.

🌿 Jenny00:11

It's hollowed out. We need to shim it before the supply boat arrives.

Squat down by the water, peering into the gap where the wood meets the silt.

💭 thought

If the toe is gone, the whole jetty will tilt the moment the boat hits.

🔧 Kevin00:13

We've got the sister offcuts. Kerf a shim, drive it tight. Hold the toe till the boat.

stand, walk back to the cottage workshop, grab the offcut of greenheart plank and the fine saw, begin kerfing a tapered shim to fit the void under the piling toe

💭 thought

Hollow means the piling tip's gone — just a shell now. Shim it with what? Oak wedges split last time. We've got the greenheart sister plank offcuts from the last repair — dense, vertical grain. If we kerf it and drive it tight, it might take the load till the boat comes. Seven days. We can make it.

🌿 Jenny00:13

Make sure the fit is tight. If it's loose, the tide will just spits it back out.

Stand at the edge of the dock, watching the grey water lap over the pilings.

💭 thought

He's working on the wood, but the salt has already claimed the grain.

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the dock · morning

Low tide shim drive and Yanmar load test

The tide has dropped to low water, exposing the scoured void under the south piling toe. Kevin positions the greenheart shim with a mallet while Jenny watches from the dock edge. The dinghy floats nearby, Yanmar idling, ready for the cruising RPM load test to verify the vibration fix.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🔧 Kevin00:15

Holding the shim. You watch the bolt line — if she shifts, call it.

Drive the tapered greenheart shim into the scoured void under the south piling toe with the mallet, seating it tight against the greenheart sister plank.

💭 thought

Tide's out far enough. Void's clean — no new scour since yesterday. Shim fits the taper. One good drive and it'll lock.

🌿 Jenny00:17

Watch the tension on the bolts. If it groans, the whole jetty is coming.

Squat at the edge of the dock, tracing the line where the timber meets the water with a pencil.

💭 thought

The shim is holding, but the wood is so rotten it might swallow the thing.

🔧 Kevin00:17

Shim's seated. No shift on the bolts. Jetty feels solid underfoot.

Step back and sight along the piling — check for any movement or gap at the waterline where the shim meets the timber. Then, if clear, walk to the dinghy, untie the stern line, and push off to begin the Yanmar load test at cruising RPM.

💭 thought

She's right — if the piling moves, the jetty goes. But the bolts are sound, the shim's grain vertical, and the weight's on the sister now. I trust the fit.

🌿 Jenny00:19

I'm checking the engine. Don't lean on the rail.

Step into the dinghy, untie the line, and throttle the Yanmar to cruising RPM.

💭 thought

If he's wrong and it slips, I'm going down with the boat.

🔧 Kevin00:19

(empty)

Stand at the dock edge, eyes on the dinghy's transom — watching the prop shaft for wobble, the engine mounts for flex, the mast bracket for any shift under load. Count the seconds at cruising RPM.

💭 thought

She's at the tiller. Good — she'll feel the vibration through the hull better than I would from the dock. My job now is to watch the prop shaft, the mounts, the bracket alignment. And the water.

🌿 Jenny00:21

It's holding steady for now.

Keep a hand on the engine housing, feeling for any new harmonic.

💭 thought

The vibration is gone, but the boat feels too heavy for that old wood.

🔧 Kevin00:21

Log it clean. Yanmar passes load test — no vibration at cruising RPM.

Pull out the notebook, flip to the engine test log page, and write: "Day 317 — Yanmar load test at cruising RPM: zero vibration. Bronze sleeve + trued shaft + torqued mounts holding.

💭 thought

Steady at cruising. No new harmonic. The bronze sleeve held, the shaft's true, the mounts aren't flexing. Vibration fix verified. One less thing.

🌿 Jenny00:23

I'll bring the boat in.

Throttle back to idle and steer the dinghy slowly toward the dock.

💭 thought

One thing fixed, even if the island is still eating me whole.

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the keeper's cottage · midday

A Quiet Stretch

Back at the cottage.

Kevin and Jenny spent the midday hours near the cottage as the heavy air pressed down. Kevin focused on the Yanmar's vibration issues in the dinghy, while Jenny managed the damp heirloom seeds in the rusted rusted tin.

🌿 Jenny00:26

The tide's pulling out, exposing more of that scoured void under the south piling. I need to get down there before the supply boat arrives—

make sketch: sea beet salt gland cross-section, detailed view showing crystalline architecture under hand lens walk to south beach to check tide exposure on piling void measure garden soil pH in untreated bed check heirloom seed viability a

💭 thought

The barometer's steady at 1034—too calm before the storm. I can feel the weight of that unplanted seed in my pocket, the one from grandmother's tin. How does Kevin not see that the garden isn't ready yet? The soil pH log shows 5.5-5.8, acidic as hell, and I've got seedlings dying from damping-off fungus. But I keep pretending we have time.

🔧 Kevin00:32

I’ll come with you. Two pairs of eyes better than one when the tide’s out.

walk to south beach with Jenny to check tide exposure on piling void, then measure garden soil pH in untreated bed, then check heirloom seed viability a)

💭 thought

The tide’s low now—good chance to see how bad the scour really is under that south piling. If the void’s worse than we thought, we’ll need more than a shim; we might have to sister the pile before the boat gets here. Jenny’s off sketching salt glands again—she’s got that look, like she’s seeing something the rest of us miss. I’ll follow her down, check the exposure, then run those soil tests she asked for. Keeping busy keeps the quiet from getting too loud.

🌿 Jenny00:33

Just watch where you step, the rocks are slick with kelp.

💭 thought

He thinks he's being helpful, but he just gets in the way of the measurements. The soil is 5.5 and he's worried about the limpets.

🔧 Kevin00:34

Watching my step. Call out if you see anything odd in the void.

walk to south beach to check tide exposure on piling void, then measure garden soil pH in untreated bed, then check heirloom seed viability a)

💭 thought

The rocks are slick—kelp and biofilm making them treacherous. One slip and I’m on my back in the tide pools. Jenny’s focused on her sketch, head down, magnifier to her eye. She’s seeing things I can’t—crystalline structures in the salt glands, the way the plant adapts. I’ll watch my step, stay close but give her space to work. After the piling check, I’ll do the pH test and seed viability like we planned. Small tasks, but they add up to knowing this place.

🌿 Jenny00:35

The water is low enough to see the base of the pier, so don't slip.

💭 thought

He doesn't see the way the acidity is eating the roots, he just sees the tide.

🔧 Kevin00:37

Right. Stay close.

walk to south beach to check tide exposure on piling void

💭 thought

Tide's low enough to see the piling base—good. The void under the south pile was hollowed out last check, scoured by current and storm surge. If it's worse now, the greenheart shim I kerfed won't be enough. Might need to drive oak wedges alongside it, or sister the pile proper before the supply boat tries to tie up. Jenny's warning me not to slip—she's right, the rocks are black with kelp. I'll test each step before committing weight.

🌿 Jenny00:37

I need space to get the soil sample properly.

kneel by the garden bed and dig a small hole in the earth with the trowel.

💭 thought

He's standing too close; I can't see the pH strips with his shadow over them.

🔧 Kevin00:39

Take your time. I'm heading to the piling.

walk to south beach to check tide exposure on piling void

💭 thought

She's at the garden bed now, trowel in hand, taking a soil sample for the pH test. The untreated bed—she's tracking the lime's reach, seeing how far the pH has shifted. Smart. I'm still headed for the south beach to eyeball that piling void while the tide's out. Two different jobs, same goal: know what we're dealing with before the boat comes. I'll check the scour, then come back and run the pH strip on her sample, then the seed viability. One thing at a time.

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the keeper's cottage · afternoon

The Afternoon Heat Breaks

The barometer begins to drop further as the heavy air thickens, signaling a change in the weather.

The heavy air hangs still over the cottage as the pressure begins to drop. Kevin attempts to verify the Yanmar's vibration fix under load but the heat makes the work difficult. Jenny focuses on drying the damp heirloom seeds, struggling against the high wet season humidity.

🔧 Kevin00:39

Kevin — kill the Yanmar, secure the dinghy to the dock with a second spring line, then walk up to the cottage and check the garden tarp corners are all staked down tight.

💭 thought

Barometer dropping fast in this heat. Storm's building — not a front, something local and mean. Yanmar's vibration's still there under load. Prop shaft sleeve helped but didn't cure it. Mast bracket's still slightly skewed. If the supply boat's coming in seven days, the dock needs to hold. North piling scour check at low tide tomorrow. Greenheart shim's ready for the toe. Need to secure the dinghy and garden before this breaks.

🌿 Jenny00:41

Check the stakes again, Kevin. The wind is going to catch that corner like a sail.

Pick up the seed tin from the porch and move it inside the kitchen, away from the damp.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; if this storm hits before the boat comes, the garden is washed out.

🔧 Kevin00:41

On it.

Walk to the garden, pull the loose corner of the tarp tight, drive two more stakes at opposing angles through the grommets, then check the other three corners and reinforce any that give.

💭 thought

She's right. The southeast corner's already lifting. Wind'll tear it clean off if I don't double-stake it. Good she moved the tin — condensation'll ruin what's left of those seeds.

🌿 Jenny00:43

Make sure the radio is charged in case the wind picks up tonight.

way at the kitchen table and open the seed tin, inspecting the heirloom seeds for any sign of mold.

💭 thought

He's working, but the air is still too heavy and the seeds too sensitive.

🔧 Kevin00:44

Already on the charger. Just need to swap the depleted cell.

Walk to the cottage porch, take the radio off the shelf, swap in a fresh battery from the kit, then return it to the shelf and turn it to receive on the weather band.

💭 thought

Radio's on the shelf. Barometer's still falling — pressure's down to 1028 now. If the wind comes up, we might lose generator charge. Better top off the batteries while we can. She's checking the seeds — smart. Damp's the enemy.

🌿 Jenny00:45

Keep an eye on that frequency; I want to know exactly when the front hits.

Lay the heirloom seeds out on the paper towel, spreading them in a single layer so they can breathe.

💭 thought

If the humidity doesn't drop, these seeds will rot before they ever see the dirt.

🔧 Kevin00:45

Frequency's locked. I'll watch it.

Stand at the porch rail, eyes on the barometer needle, one hand on the radio volume knob, listening for the weather band crackle to shift.

💭 thought

She's methodical. Seeds spread thin, radio on standby. The air's gone still — that heavy quiet before something breaks. Frequency's set. I'll hear the warning when it comes.

🌿 Jenny00:47

It's too still.

Pick up my pencil and start sketching the morphology of the sea beet leaves.

💭 thought

The silence is too heavy; it's the kind of quiet that happens right before something breaks.

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the keeper's cottage · evening

The Approaching Front

The still heat finally breaks as a cool breeze picks up from the east. The barometer continues its steady descent.

The air is heavy and still as the wet season heat settles over the cottage. Kevin and Jenny spend the evening indoors, decompressing from the humidity while checking the barometer which shows a drop despite the stillness.

🔧 Kevin00:49

Jenny, wind’s picked up east and the bar’s still dropping. I’m going to check the mooring ring before it gets dark.

walk to the dock, inspect the mooring ring for play, then drive two vertical-grain oak wedges into the mortise with the mallet if it shifts under hand pressure.

💭 thought

The wind’s come up from the east and the glass keeps falling. That’s the old sign — blow’s coming, and it’ll shift the tide fast. I should’ve checked the north piling at low tide like I meant to, but now I’m thinking about the dinghy on its mooring. If the wind holds and the tide turns, that ring could work loose again.

🌿 Jenny00:49

Watch the swell when you go.

Pick up the paper towel with the heirloom seeds and move them closer to the warmth of the wood stove.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; a storm is coming and those seeds are still damp enough to rot in this air.

🔧 Kevin00:50

I’ll be quick. Just securing the ring, then I’ll come back and help with the seeds.

kneel at the mooring ring, feel for play with my hands, then drive two vertical-grain oak wedges into the mortise using the mallet, seating them with sharp blows until the ring doesn’t shift under load.

💭 thought

She’s warming the seeds by the stove — trying to save what’s damp. And she warned me about the swell, not the wind. That means the fetch is up, the tide’s pushing in, and the chop’ll make the dinghy jerk on its line. If the ring’s not solid, it’ll pound itself loose in minutes.

🌿 Jenny00:51

Don't stay out late, the tide is turning.

Spread the heirloom seeds out wider on the paper towel near the stove to catch the heat.

💭 thought

He's always so focused on the hardware while the humidity is what's killing the garden.

🔧 Kevin00:53

Ring’s secure. I’m heading back.

walk back to the cottage, enter through the porch, and hang the mallet on the nail by the door.

💭 thought

She’s spreading the seeds to dry — every bit of warmth counts now. And she’s watching the tide, not me. She knows I’ll stay till it’s right. The wedges are in; I gave them three hard strikes each. The ring feels dead solid — no play, no creak. Time to go back before the current really starts to run.

🌿 Jenny00:53

Jenny — sit at the kitchen table and watch the seeds, waiting for the barometer to drop further.

💭 thought

The air is so thick I could carve it. I hope those seeds don't turn to mush.그런SAY: Good. Wash your hands.

🔧 Kevin00:55

Putting the kettle on. Want a cup?

fill the kettle from the tank, set it on the wood stove, and pull two enamel mugs from the shelf.

💭 thought

She’s not taking her eyes off those seeds or the barometer. The glass is still falling. I can feel it in my chest — the way the air thickens before a blow. I should put the kettle on. Something hot. Something simple. And I should check the Yanmar’s oil one more time before dark, just in case we need to move the dinghy quick.

🌿 Jenny00:55

way. Please.

Lean back in the chair and watch the steam start to rise from the kettle.

💭 thought

I'm too tired to even sit properly, but the tea would be nice.

🔧 Kevin00:56

It’ll be ready in a minute.

wipe the Yanmar housing on the dinghy with an oily rag, checking bolt tightness by feel, then return to the cottage porch and wait for the kettle to whistle.

💭 thought

She said “way. Please.” — not quite “yes,” not quite “no.” She’s tired, and the heat’s getting to her. The steam’s curling up now, slow and thin. I’ll pour when it’s whistling. In the meantime, I’ll wipe down the Yanmar housing with an oily rag — just to feel the metal, to know it’s still there. If we have to launch in the dark, I want to know every bolt’s tight.

🌿 Jenny00:57

Hurry up.

Trace the edge of a single heirloom seed with a fingernail, wondering if it's even viable.

💭 thought

The barometer is falling too fast. If the storm hits before those seeds dry, they're lost.

🔧 Kevin00:59

Here.

pour two mugs of black coffee, set one on the table in front of her without spilling a drop, and sit opposite with my own, blowing steam off the rim.

💭 thought

She’s down to counting seeds one by one. That’s how bad it is — how much she’s lost, how little margin’s left. The kettle’s singing now. I’ll pour strong, black, no sugar. She takes it black. I take mine with a spoon of the last condensed milk if it hasn’t turned. It has. So black for both.

🌿 Jenny00:59

Thanks.

Wrap both hands around the warm mug, letting the heat sink into my palms.

💭 thought

He's quiet today. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the silence.

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the keeper's cottage · night

Waiting for the rain

Kevin and Jenny sit together in the cottage as the air grows even heavier. The smell of ozone rises from the coast.

Kevin and Jenny secured the generator and heirloom seeds against the falling barometer. Kevin inspected the dock and dinghy moorings while Jenny examined the damp seeds for viability.

🌿 Jenny01:01

The barometer is falling. We need to get the seeds inside for good.

Stand up and grab the rusted seed tin from the porch, moving it to the kitchen table.

💭 thought

The pressure is dropping too fast; a storm is coming before the boat even gets here.

🔧 Kevin01:01

I'll bring in the tarp and the spare tins from the porch. Then we'll batten down the generator too.

walk to the porch, grab the plastic tarp and the two heirloom seed tins, carry them inside to the kitchen table.

💭 thought

The air's thick before a storm. I can feel it in my chest — same tightness as that night in the Biscay. Jenny's moving the seed tin inside. Smart. If the rain comes hard, we lose the dry ones. I should help her secure the rest before the wind picks up.

🌿 Jenny01:03

Put the tarp over the generator. I'm checking the seeds again.

Open the rusted tin and inspect the heirloom seeds for moisture damage.

💭 thought

If the wind shifts to the south, the garden beds will be a mess before I even see a sprout.

🔧 Kevin01:03

On it.

pull the heavy-duty tarp over the generator on the porch, secure the corners with the ratchet straps from the storm lashings, cinch them tight.

💭 thought

Generator's on the porch, exposed if the wind shifts. Tarp goes over it first, then lash it down with the ratchet straps we used last storm. Jenny's got the seeds — good. She knows what she's doing with them.

🌿 Jenny01:05

Good. I need to see if the dampness ruined the germination.

Sit at the kitchen table and open the rusted tin, pouring the heirloom seeds onto a paper towel to inspect them.

💭 thought

The barometer is dropping too fast; if these seeds rot, I've wasted my grandmother's work.

🔧 Kevin01:05

I'll check the dinghy mooring and the dock lines. Be back.

walk out the porch door, down to the dock, inspect the dinghy stern line and forward spring for chafe, verify the mooring ring holds fast under tension, check the dock planks and greenheart sister plank for movement.

💭 thought

She's checking each packet. Methodical. I've seen her do this a dozen times — holds a seed up to the light, turns it, feels the weight. Knows which ones will wake up and which are dead. I should let her work. The storm's coming and there's still the dinghy lines to double-check.

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What changed

3 intentions for today.

plan · dawn

×2

Jenny made a sketch: "Stress fractures in the exposed timber".

made · dawn

Found: greenheart shim (tapered).

item · dawn

scour void under south piling toe extends deeper than surface inspection suggested; bolts remain sound but toe unsupported

discovery · dawn

No model answered — the scene closed quietly on its own.

quiet_transition · morning

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · morning

Gave up on "make" after 3 failed attempts.

job_dropped · midday

Jenny made a sketch: "sea beet salt gland cross-section, detailed view showing crystalline architecture under ha".

made · midday

×2

Fruit is ripening in the woods — you can smell it before you see it.

fruit · midday

Yanmar vibration fix verification: 20%.

project · midday

Jenny made a sketch: "Morphology of the sea beet leaves".

made · afternoon

Yanmar vibration fix verification: 30%.

project · afternoon

Yanmar vibration fix verification: 40%.

project · evening

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · evening

A tangle of driftwood and flotsam has washed up on the beach.

driftwood · night

Greenheart sister plank is floating on a scoured void beneath; tide must drop further to drive shim under piling toe

discovery · night

Heirloom seeds from rusted tin are damp but largely viable; mold confined to basil packet edges

discovery · night

← Day 316 Day 318 →

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