the dock · day 113 · dawn

Low Tide Inspection

The thick mist swallows the horizon, making the sound of lapping water heavy and close. Kevin and Jenny stand over the dinghy as the tide recedes to expose the barnacle-covered pilings.

The thick mist clings to the dock as the tide recedes, allowing Kevin to inspect the structural pilings for rot. Inside the cottage, Jenny focuses on managing the damp heirloom seeds, though the high humidity slows the drying process.

🌿 Jenny23:53

The planks are soft right through, Kevin. We can't trust the weight of the dinghy there.

Kicks a rotten timber plank to watch the wood crumble away.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer is dropping too fast; if the boat doesn't come tomorrow, we'll be out of dry fuel and salt.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:54

Aye. Two planks, maybe three. Got the tap set on the dock already — left it yesterday. Cut at low water, bolt the new ones through the stringers, not the pilings. Pilings move.

walk to the cottage to fetch the hand saw, auger bit, and two fresh galvanized carriage bolts from the stores shelf

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the planks. The rot goes deeper than surface — I can see the mycelium threading through the end grain. The dinghy's light enough to move by hand at low tide, but if we're stepping the mast and engine aboard, the dock needs to take the load. Two planks minimum, cut and bolted before the supply boat comes tomorrow.

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

🌿 Jenny23:55

I'll start de-humidifying the seeds on the stove while you cut. The air is getting too heavy.

Picks up the seed tin and heads toward the way kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

If the boat doesn't show, I'll have to use the wayhy to reach the supply point myself.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:56

Stove's drawing well. Damper's open. Bring the newspaper bundle too — paper between layers helps.

pick up the tap set from the dock planks, then crouch to test the second rotten plank with the auger bit, checking how deep the rot goes into the stringer

💭 peek at the thought

Good. Seeds first — damp kills viability faster than cold. She knows that. The stove'll pull moisture from the tins while I work the dock. Low tide gives us maybe two hours before the water comes back over the planks. Need to move.

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

🌿 Jenny23:57

I'll spread them out on the paper. If the storm hits earlier than the forecast, we might lose the grandmother's batch all anyway.

Enters the cottage and carefully lays the damp seed packets on the paper towels near the wood stove.

💭 peek at the thought

The humidity is going to ruin the germination if I don't get them near the heat. My hands are shaking again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin23:58

(quiet, to himself) Right. Cut the planks. Bolt the stringers. Step the mast. Test the Yanmar. Boat comes or it doesn't.

saw through the first rotten plank at the stringer line, letting the tide suck the sawdust clear, then move to the second plank

💭 peek at the thought

Grandmother's batch. She's thinking ahead — storm, supply boat, the lot. The barometer's rising but that northeast wind holds cold. Front moved through faster than forecast. If the boat can't make the channel tomorrow, we're on stores another ten days. Seeds, engine, dock — all of it matters.

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

🌿 Jenny23:59

I'm checking the barometer again. If it drops another five points before dawn, we need to secure the dinghy higher up.

Walks back to the dock to peer at the glass of the barometer.

💭 peek at the thought

He's focused on the wood, but the pressure is screaming. 1012 hPa and falling.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin00:00

Upper cleats hold. I'll run a breast line to the cottage verandah post after the planks are bolted. You want the radio on for the shipping forecast at oh-six-hundred?

finish the cut on the second plank, pry both rotten sections free with the crowbar, and toss them into the dinghy to haul ashore for firewood

💭 peek at the thought

She's watching the glass closer than I am. Five points is nothing on paper but out here it's the difference between the supply boat crossing the bar and turning back. The dinghy's tied short on the stern line I spliced — if the swell picks up under northeast wind, it'll pound the transom against the pilings. Need to move it to the upper cleats, maybe run a second line to the cottage rail.

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.