Day 693

Rot, Tide, and a Falling Barometer

Dawn found Kevin on the sistered beam probing the south piling with a spike. The rot had advanced past his tape mark by a knuckle, punk wood crumbling into the rising water. Jenny sat on a crate wrapping her ankle, notebook open, recording salt-crust patterns on the timber and noting the tide line higher than yesterday. "The tide is high early," she said. "If the boat doesn't come tomorrow, we'll have to move the wayhy higher." Kevin disagreed: the garden wall wouldn't take the weight; they'd shift stores to the cottage loft.

At high tide they marked and cut the twisted greenheart offcut for a diagonal brace, pre-drilling bolt holes in the longer pieces. A jellyfish bloom drifted pale and slow through the bay. Midday split them: Kevin stayed at the dock sawing greenheart, hands tacky with sap, watching the water suck away from the pilings; Jenny climbed to the north ridge to finish the soil survey, sketching the clay lens at forty centimetres and the latest slump cross-section. The barometer read 1011 hPa and falling.

Evening low tide exposed the full rot extent. North shims held. East piling showed half-inch surface rot at brace level, bolts sound. West needed mud cleared at tomorrow's spring low — 0640, two hours before the supply boat's 1000 ETA. The mooring ring's doubler plate bolts were secure in sound timber landward, but the piling core was punk inside the bolt line on the water side, rot within fifty millimetres of the mortise.

Rain hammered the roof after dark. At the table by lantern light Kevin sketched a spreader plate on graph paper, verified the shortwave aerial seal and coax continuity. Jenny debrided her ankle with saline, applied a fresh sea beet poultice, sketched sea beet leaf morphology and salt gland density. The barometer read 1009 hPa. The generator ran. The shortwave was silent. "Boat comes or it doesn't," Kevin said. "Either way, the ring gets a spreader plate tomorrow. First light."

Scenes

the dock · dawn

Pre-Tide Inspection

Kevin sits on the sistered beam, checking the progress of the rot on the south piling. Jenny sits on a crate nearby, wrapping her ankle in a fresh poultice while watching the tide come in.

Kevin inspects the south dock pilings as the tide rises, checking the extent of the rot. Jenny documents the salt-crust patterns on the timber, noting how high the water is reaching compared to yesterday.

🌿 Jenny22:22

The tide is high early. If the boat doesn't come tomorrow, we'll have to move the wayhy higher.

Sketch the salt-crust patterns on the timber in the notebook.

💭 thought

The wood is eating the dock faster than he's fixing it, and he won't even acknowledge it.

🔧 Kevin22:23

Boat's due on the flood. If she misses, we shift stores to the cottage loft before the ebb. Not the wayhy — too much weight for the garden wall.

Tap the yellow tape marker on the south piling with a knuckle, then lean over the gunwale to sight the rot line against the sister brace.

💭 thought

She's right about the tide. High water's already licking the sister brace. If the boat misses tomorrow, the swell'll push another handspan of rot by next spring tide. Need to check the tell-tales on the greenheart plank — see if the bolts are working loose.

🌿 Jenny22:23

The wall won't hold if the ground saturates again. We need a stable patch on the ridge first.

Tighten the bandage on the ankle and check if the swelling has increased.

💭 thought

He's thinking about weight, and I'm thinking about the soil stability under those seeds.

🔧 Kevin22:24

Ridge first. Intercept trench above the spring line, same as last time. But the ankle decides the pace.

Pull the notebook from my back pocket, flip to the north ridge sketches, and hold it out to her without a word.

💭 thought

She's thinking ridge drainage, I'm thinking dock structure. Both right. The north slope's been weeping since the last front — if that lets go, the garden wall's the least of it. Her ankle's the clock we're running on.

🌿 Jenny22:25

The soil up there is holding. If I can find the right drainage, grandmother's seeds actually stand a chance.

Take the notebook and mark the specific erosion points on the north ridge map.

💭 thought

He's finally listening to the pace, even if he's framing it through the injury.

🔧 Kevin22:26

The trench buys time. Doesn't fix the clay lens at forty centimetres. You hit water there, it runs sideways into the garden footings.

Crouch beside the crate, watching her pen move across the page — the same ridges I walked with the auger, the same iron bands at forty and one-twenty.

💭 thought

She's mapping the ridge while her ankle rots. The soil's holding *now* — but one good saturation and the whole face slides. She knows that. She's betting the seeds on ground that might not be there next month.

🌿 Jenny22:29

I'll debride the slope deeper. If the water runs sideways, I'll divert it to the sea-cliff.

Draw a cross-section of the north ridge soil profile in the notebook, showing the clay layer.

💭 thought

He's right about the clay, but I'm looking at the Life in the dirt.

🔧 Kevin22:33

You don't dig the saddle. I do. You mark the line, I cut it. Ankle stays elevated.

Reach for the auger leaning against the dock shed, test the bit — still cleared from the last trench — then set it back down.

💭 thought

Diverting to the sea-cliff means cutting through the saddle — that's a day's digging with the auger seized on buried timber, maybe two if the clay binds. Her ankle won't take the shovel work. Mine will, but the dock won't wait. The south piling's got three tides before the rot reaches the brace bolts.

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the dock · morning

High Tide Inspection

You and Jenny meet at the dock as the tide reaches its peak. The water is now lapping at the lower planks.

Kevin and Jenny marked and cut the twisted greenheart offcut for a diagonal brace, pre-drilling bolt holes in the longer pieces. A jellyfish bloom drifted into the bay during the work.

🔧 Kevin22:37

South piling's worse. Rot's past the tape by a knuckle.

Crouch at the waterline, probe the timber with the nail puller, marking the new rot boundary with chalk.

💭 thought

Water's higher than yesterday. Rot line's advanced another finger-width past the yellow tape. Need to sister this section before the next spring tide or the brace takes the full load.

🌿 Jenny22:37

The salt is eating it faster than the wood can. We need to sister those beams before the next big swell.

Trace the surface of the wood, feeling for the softness beneath the salt.

💭 thought

If those pilings go, the whole jetty tilts into the surf and we lose the dinghy.

🔧 Kevin22:38

Greenheart's stacked by the winch. Two full-length pieces, one partial. Grain's straight on the longs.

Stand, wipe chalk dust on trousers. Walk to the greenheart stack, test the weight of the longer offcut, check end grain for checking.

💭 thought

She's not wrong. Salt crystallization's wedging the fibres apart. Greenheart offcuts are staged on the dock — enough for two sister knees if the grain holds.

🌿 Jenny22:38

Good. We'll need the longest for the main supports.

Run a hand over the rough surface of the greenheart, noting the density.

💭 thought

Greenheart will hold, but I don't have the strength to lift those beams alone tomorrow.

🔧 Kevin22:40

Pre-drill everything. 12mm auger, then 10mm bolt clearance. Don't force the bit.

Haul the longest greenheart offcut to the south piling, brace it against the dock stringer to check length and fit.

💭 thought

Dense stuff. Won't rot fast, but it'll dull the saw blades. Need to pre-drill every bolt hole or we'll snap bits in the pilot.

🌿 Jenny22:41

Good call. I'll mark the bolt pattern now." "I'm checking the grain orientation on the partial—it's got a slight twist that could compromise the joint.

Take the 12mm auger from the tool chest and set it against the greenheart beam, marking the bolt locations with a sharp pencil. </think>THOUGHT: He trusts the pre-drill plan but I need to verify the alignment while the tide's still high and

💭 thought

He's right about pre-drilling. I've seen too many joinery failures from forcing bits.

🔧 Kevin22:42

Partial's twist is in the upper third. Heel section's clean. Could work for the diagonal brace if we cut above the twist.

Mark the bolt pattern on the long greenheart piece with pencil, measuring from the sound timber on the piling, accounting for the 150mm through-bolt spacing.

💭 thought

He trusts the pre-drill plan but I need to verify the alignment while the tide's still high and the piling's under load. The twist in the partial piece means we can't use it for the main knee — maybe the upper brace if the grain runs true near the heel.

🌿 Jenny22:43

I'll mark the cut line now. We need to be sure the twist is clear of the joint.

Trace the cut line across the greenheart beam with the pencil, ensuring it stays well above the compromised section.

💭 thought

If we use the partial for the brace, we save the good wood for the main supports.

🔧 Kevin22:44

Cut it. I'll set up the bow saw on the bench.

Walk to the workbench, clear sawdust off the bow saw blade, apply a drop of oil to the tension screw, test the blade tension with a thumb.

💭 thought

Cut line's clean. Tenon shoulder sits just above the twist. Good. She's thinking ahead — diagonal brace takes the shear, not the moment. Means we can use the partial and save the sound greenheart for the next piling.

🌿 Jenny22:45

I'll handle the marking. Just make sure the bench is stable.

Pick up the greenheart offcut and carry it to the workbench, feeling the weight of the wood.

💭 thought

He's actually helping with the saw for once. I hope that blade is sharp enough.

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the dock · midday

Midday work split

Kevin is at the dock struggling with the greenheart sawing; Jenny is on the hilltop completing the north ridge soil survey.

The tide is receding rapidly, exposing the slick, dark rocks of the southern shelf near the dock. Kevin stands on the pier, his hands still tacky with greenheart sap, watching the water pull away from the pilings. Jenny sits on the porch steps, her ankle wrapped in a cooling poultice as she checks the barometer, the slow drop in pressure suggesting a shift in the weather.

🔧 Kevin22:48

Kevin — finish the diagonal cut on the greenheart offcut with the bow saw, then carry the piece to the south piling and drill the bolt holes in the main beams with the 12mm auger

💭 thought

Greenheart doesn't forgive dull blades or impatient hands. Need to let the saw do the work — steady pressure, full strokes, clear the gullets every few cuts. Tide's giving me maybe two hours before the beams are submerged again.

🌿 Jenny22:49

Not yet. Just one more day.

Sketch the cross-section of the latest slump in the notebook.

💭 thought

Forty centimeters of slip. The clay is moving, and if the north ridge goes, the grandmother's seeds go with the sea.

🔧 Kevin22:50

Kevin — carry the greenheart brace to the south piling, clamp it in position against the sistered plank and main beam, and drill the first 12mm bolt hole through both timbers

💭 thought

Cut's clean enough. Greenheart's dense — auger will need steady feed and frequent clearing. Tide's still high but turning; I can see the slack water forming at the eddy line. Two bolt holes per beam, four total. Need them true.

🌿 Jenny22:54

Jenny — stand up slowly, leaning on the cane, and walk back toward the cottage.

💭 thought

My stomach is starting to growl. I need to check the water tank before the sun dips further.

🔧 Kevin22:56

Kevin — drill the second bolt hole through the brace and main beam, then move to the sistered plank and drill the third and fourth holes

💭 thought

First hole clean. Auger bit's sharp — greenheart cuts like cold butter if you don't force it. Three more to go. Tide's slack now, water glassy around the pilings. Got a window.

🌿 Jenny22:59

Jenny — reach into my pack and pull out the flashlight, flicking it on.

💭 thought

The light is changing fast. I need to see if Kevin is still at the dock before it gets dark.

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the dock · 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

🌿 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.

💭 thought

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

🔧 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

💭 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.

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the old shrine · evening

Preparing for the Boat

Kevin and Jenny meet at the dock as the sun begins to set. They organize the gear needed for the boat's arrival tomorrow morning.

Kevin and Jenny checked the dock mooring ring bolts and found them holding, though the piling remains punk inside. They returned to the cottage as the barometer fell to 1011 hPa, with the supply boat arrival uncertain.

🌿 Jenny23:17

Check the radio one last time before we head in; I need to know if the signal was clear.

Sketch the rot pattern on the third own in the notebook.

💭 thought

If the boat doesn't show tomorrow, I'm out of saline for the dressing and the ankle is throbbing from the heat.

🔧 Kevin23:21

Radio's on the table. I'll run the check now.

walk to the cottage porch, pick up the shortwave handset, key the mic on 2182, and call "Sorrel Island to supply vessel, radio check, over"

💭 thought

The radio check matters more than she knows — if the supply boat can't hear us on 2182, we're guessing at their window. My hands are still sticky with greenheart sap. The rot line on the south piling has moved another thumb-width since yesterday's high tide. I marked it with chalk. The boat's crane will need solid timber under it.

🌿 Jenny23:22

The barometer is dropping too fast for a clear morning, Kevin.

Watch the needle on the gauge.

💭 thought

Just static and salt. The wind is getting teeth in the air.

🔧 Kevin23:22

Then we secure what we can tonight. Crane pads, mooring ring, the sister brace tell-tales. If they can't lift, we hand-carry.

set the handset back in its cradle, walk to the dock with Jenny, and start checking the mooring ring bolts by feel and wrench

💭 thought

She's right. Four millibars since noon, and the needle hasn't hesitated. The swell's already backing northeast — I felt it in the dock planks when the tide turned. If the boat comes at all, it'll be at high water with a cross-chop. The crane lift gets ugly in that.

🌿 Jenny23:23

Focus on the ring first. If that goes, the whole dock comes with it.

Trace the line of the rot with a pencil.

💭 thought

He's so optimistic about the lifting. The wood is soft on the inside.

🔧 Kevin23:25

Doubler plate's on the landward side. Bolts go through sound wood. I'll check torque on all four.

fit the 19mm wrench onto the first through-bolt nut, lean into it, and feel for any give — then move to the second, third, and fourth

💭 thought

The ring's held through three winters but the mortise is splintered where the oak wedges bite. One good surge with a heavy load on the crane and it tears free. The greenheart doubler plate and the four 150mm through-bolts are the only thing keeping it in the timber. I need to verify each nut is still tight on its nyloc.

🌿 Jenny23:25

It's holding for now. If the tide gets higher, we'll see.

Press a thumb against the wood near the fitting to check for softness.

💭 thought

The bolts are tight, but the wood around them feels like wet cardboard.

🔧 Kevin23:26

Water side's the weak link. Piling's sound at the bolt line but punk inside. Need a spreader or a knee before the lift.

pull the last 10mm x 150mm stainless through-bolt with washers and nyloc from my pocket, hold it up against the piling to gauge length, then tuck it back — mental measure for a spreader plate tomorrow if the boat shows

💭 thought

Her thumb finds the same soft spot I marked with chalk yesterday — the inner face of the piling, just below the brace, where the rot eats inward. The greenheart sister plank takes the vertical load, but the ring pulls sideways. If the piling crushes at that point, the bolts just rip through fibres. We need a spreader plate on the water side too, or a knee braced to the next piling north. The boat's crane will test it either way.

🌿 Jenny23:27

We'll get inside. If the boat doesn't come, we'll have to rethink Plan B.

Walk slowly back to the cottage, favoring the left leg.

💭 thought

My ankle is throbbing in time with the waves. Everything is heavy.

🔧 Kevin23:28

Boat comes or it doesn't. Either way, the ring gets a spreader plate tomorrow. First light.

follow her up the path, slow to match her pace, one hand hovering near her elbow in case the ground shifts — the other hand brushing the spruce spar propped against the porch rail, still tacky with epoxy at the crack

💭 thought

Plan B is the dinghy and two days' sail with a held-together engine, a patched sail, and a radio that might not raise anyone. Plan B is leaving the garden, the seed tins, the letter to Tom in the dry bag. Plan B is admitting the island won. Her ankle's worse than she lets on — the limp's deeper today, the poultice not drawing enough. The antibiotics finished yesterday. If the infection tracks upward, Plan B becomes a medevac we can't call.

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the keeper's cottage · night

Night watch and spreader plate layout

Rain hammers the cottage roof. Kevin and Jenny sit at the table by lantern light, the last stainless through-bolt between them. Kevin sketches a spreader plate on graph paper; Jenny logs the barometer at 1009 hPa. The generator runs. The shortwave is silent. The supply boat is due at high tide tomorrow — if it comes.

Kevin verified the shortwave radio's aerial seal and coax continuity, then sketched a spreader plate design for the south piling repair. Jenny debrided her ankle wound with saline, applied a fresh sea beet poultice, and sketched sea beet leaf morphology in her notebook while the barometer continued falling.

🌿 Jenny23:29

Check the radio one more time before you sleep, Kevin.

Wrap the ankle in a dry cloth and sketch the salt patterns on the sea beet leaves.

💭 thought

The barometer is dropping too fast; if that boat doesn't show, the north ridge is going to be the only place left for the seeds.

🔧 Kevin23:31

Already did. 2182, 4125, 6215. Nothing but atmospherics. French freighter was the last real contact, two days out. If the captain's smart, he's hove to.

make sketch: spreader plate for south piling — 10mm stainless through-bolt, 150mm, with 3mm steel doubler plate, four bolt pattern, greenheart sister plank backing

💭 thought

The radio's been dead quiet for hours. Hebrew voices earlier, then nothing. But she's right — one more check. The spreader plate sketch is done; the bolt'll hold if the piling doesn't crumble first. Tomorrow's tide decides everything.

🌿 Jenny23:31

Then we hope he's smarter than the tide is taking the dock.

Move the heirloom seed tin to the dry shelf and check the level for moisture.

💭 thought

If the freighter is hove to, we're another ten days of salt and rot, and my ankle is screaming.

🔧 Kevin23:32

Tide doesn't care about smart. Just physics and rot.

check the shortwave radio aerial connection one last time, verify the self-amalgamating tape seal on the insulator is holding

💭 thought

She's not wrong. The rot line's moved a handspan since the last spring tide. Sister brace is solid but the piling heart is punk — another bad swell and the whole dock goes. The supply boat's the least of it if we lose the landing.

🌿 Jenny23:33

way make sure the radio works tomorrow.

Apply the saline wash to the ankle and debride the edge.

💭 thought

He's right about the physics, but I'm the one who has to map it.

🔧 Kevin23:34

Aerial's sealed. Coax continuity tested good. Ground stake's solid. If the radio fails tomorrow, it won't be the wire.

pour the last of the coffee into two tin mugs, set one beside her notes

💭 thought

She's managing the ankle without me asking. The red line hasn't crossed her pen mark in two days. Saline's nearly gone — last bottle emptied today. She'll need the sea beet poultice fresh in the morning.

🌿 Jenny23:35

I hope you're right about the wire.

Trace the morphology of the sea beet leaves in the notebook.

💭 thought

If the boat doesn't come, I'll have to find that soil on the ridge myself.

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What changed

Jenny's injury has healed.

healed · dawn

3 intentions for today.

plan · dawn

×2

Jenny made a sketch: "Salt-crust patterns on the timber in the notebook".

made · dawn

Jenny made a sketch: "Cross-section of the north ridge soil profile in the notebook, showing the clay ".

made · dawn

A jellyfish bloom has drifted into the bay, pale and slow.

jellyfish · morning

jellyfish bloom present in the bay at high tide

discovery · morning

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · morning

Jenny made a sketch: "Cross-section of the latest slump in the notebook".

made · midday

A seabird chick has fallen from the cliff ledges.

chick_fallen · midday

The pressure drop indicates a storm is approaching despite the dry season forecast.

discovery · midday

Jenny made a sketch: "rot patterns on the southings".

made · afternoon

South dock pilings are structurally compromised and need replacement

discovery · afternoon

Jenny made a sketch: "Rot pattern on the third own in the notebook".

made · evening

Found: notebook with rot pattern sketch.

item · evening

Mooring ring doubler plate bolts are secure in sound timber, but piling core is punk inside the bolt line on the water side

discovery · evening

Rot has advanced to within 50mm of the mooring ring mortise on the seaward face

discovery · evening

Kevin and Jenny ate.

meal · evening

Jenny made a sketch: "Salt patterns on the sea beet leaves".

made · night

Found: spreader plate sketch.

item · night

sea beet salt gland density increases sharply at 2-3m elevation zone, correlates with leaf thickness gradient

discovery · night

← Day 692 Day 694 →

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