the keeper's cottage · day 126 · dawn

Sanding and Seeding

Kevin works on the dinghy transom while the wood dust settles on the floorboards. Jenny sorts the chitted potato crates on the outdoor table as the onshore breeze picks up.

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

🔧 Kevin11:33

Hold the tub while I coat the port side. If you won’t, I’ll do it alone.

sand the dinghy transom with 80-grit paper, working from the center out to the edges in long, even strokes.

💭 peek at the thought

The wood dust is fine, like powdered bone. I keep my strokes even, following the grain. The transom needs to be smooth before the epoxy bites. If I rush it, the coat will fail where the stress is highest—right at the corners where the motor mounts. Jenny’s sorting potatoes without looking up. She’s been quiet since the rat. I wonder if she’s waiting for me to say something, or if she’s decided I won’t.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny11:33

Fine. Just don't get any on my shoes.

Walk over to the dinghy and grip the edge of the epoxy tub firmly.

💭 peek at the thought

He's in one of those moods. I can't tell if he's actually asking for help or just testing the tension between us.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin11:34

Good. Keep it steady. Brush in my right hand, you tilt. Don't let it slosh.

dip the brush into the epoxy tub Jenny holds, load it heavy but not dripping, and start laying the first coat on the port side of the transom in long vertical strokes, working from the center seam outward.

💭 peek at the thought

She came. Didn't hesitate. Her boots are already dusted with wood shavings from the porch. She's holding the tub with both hands, knuckles white—same grip she used on the wrench yesterday. The epoxy's mixed and waiting, pot life ticking. I've got maybe twenty minutes before it starts to kick. Two coats on the transom, then the bottom seams. If the wind holds, we can get it all done before noon.

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

🌿 Jenny11:35

I'm holding it. Just watch the drips.

major the tub slightly to keep the epoxy level, watching the brush strokes as he works.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so focused on the finish, it's like if he makes it smooth enough the island will stop moving.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin11:36

Port side done. Flip it when I say.

continue brushing the first coat across the full width of the transom, feathering the edges, then set the brush in the solvent jar and signal for the turnover.

💭 peek at the thought

The epoxy pulls smooth, self-leveling on the sanded grain. No fisheyes, no bubbles—good mix, clean surface. Jenny's wrists don't tremble. She's watching the brush, not me. The tub's half-gone already. One coat down, one to go on this side, then flip and do starboard. The bottom seams after that. If the pot life holds, we finish the transom today. The engine mounts bolt to this wood. It has to be right.

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

🌿 Jenny11:38

Alright, flip it. Port side's done. I'm rotating it now. Starboard side's next.

steady the tub as he calls for the turn, then tilt it carefully to pour excess epoxy back into the container. </think> flip the tub carefully, positioning the brush for the second coat while watching Kevin work.

💭 peek at the thought

He's methodical to a fault. If I don't stay centered, he'll drift off the island entirely. The epoxy's getting tacky too fast in this heat. I should have started earlier.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin11:38

Second coat on starboard. Same as before—long strokes, don't scrape the brush.

dip the brush into the epoxy Jenny holds, load it fully, and begin applying the second coat to the starboard side of the transom in smooth vertical strokes, starting at the center seam and working outward.

💭 peek at the thought

The transom's flipped clean, starboard side up. The first coat's tacky but not wet—perfect for the second. Jenny's got the tub steady, eyes on the brush. We're in rhythm now, no words needed. The epoxy smells sharp, but it's just chemistry. Not the spar fumes from before. This is different. This is us, fixing something that'll carry us away if we ever need to go.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny11:39

Nearly through. The grain's taking the second coat well. Almost done with this side. The grain's really accepting it.

tilt the tub to control the flow, watching the brush work across the starboard surface. </think> tilt the tub carefully, watching Kevin's brush move across the starboard transom in steady vertical strokes.

💭 peek at the thought

He's gotten faster at this, more confident now that the transom's almost done. I can almost hear the wood breathing underneath the epoxy.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

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