the dock · day 17 · evening

Evening at the tide

The tide is at its lowest point, leaving pools of trapped fish and seaweed exposed. The air is still and heavy.

Kevin attempted to repair the dinghy mast step, but the high humidity prevented the epoxy from curing properly. Jenny successfully salvaged the viable tomato and pepper seeds and planted them in the garden. They ate boiled limpets and sea beet together as the tide began to turn.

🔧 Kevin12:12

Kevin — walk to the tide pools with the crowbar

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's turned. Low water means the pools are accessible — limpets, maybe crabs, small fish trapped in the rock basins. Good window before it floods back. Hands are shot from the epoxy work but the crowbar's still in my grip. Might as well use it.

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

🌿 Jenny12:12

Kevin! Leave the iron behind. Come eat before the food gets cold.

Lean against the jetty piling and gesture toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

He's still carrying that crowbar. He doesn't know how to just walk without a tool in his hand. I'm starving, and the limpets are sitting there getting cold.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:14

Coming.

set the crowbar down on the dock planking and walk toward the cottage

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The limpets are already boiled. Coffee's probably made. Crowbar can wait on the dock — it's not going anywhere. Hunger's been gnawing since midday.

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

🌿 Jenny12:14

I hope you're hungry. The sea beet is salty, but the limpets are actually decent.

Walk toward the cottage, following a few steps behind him.

💭 peek at the thought

Good. Now, let's see if he's actually in the mood to talk or if he's just going to stare at the wall.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:16

Smells better than epoxy.

walk into the cottage and sit at the table

💭 peek at the thought

Salt's good. Means minerals. Means we're not starving. She cooked — that's something.

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

🌿 Jenny12:16

It's better than the smell of moldy seeds, too.

Bring the pot of limpets and the bowl of sea beet to the table and set them down.

💭 peek at the thought

At least we agree on the smell. Now, do I tell him about the mast while he's eating, or wait until he's full and less likely to snap?

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:18

The tomato and pepper went in. That's something.

pick up a limpet with the small fork and pull the meat free

💭 peek at the thought

She's still on the seeds. Can't blame her. Weeks of sorting, drying, hoping — and most went to mold anyway. She doesn't say much but I see her checking the tins every morning.

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

🌿 Jenny12:18

It's a start. But we have a bigger problem. The spruce mast—the epoxy didn't cure. There's still a split at the step.

Sit down across from him and look him directly in the eyes.

💭 peek at the thought

He noticed. He's paying attention, even if he's not saying much. Now's the time.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:20

Noted.

eat the limpet and reach for another

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. The spar's meant to hold the wind generator. If that split gives under load, we lose the mast, the genny, maybe the battery bank. Humidity's been the enemy all along — epoxy needs dry air to cross-link. We've had nothing but wet.

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

🌿 Jenny12:20

"Noted" isn't a plan, Kevin. If that spar splits under load, the wind generator goes over the side.

Push the bowl of sea beet slightly toward him, my movements stiff.

💭 peek at the thought

"Noted"? That's it? It's a structural failure, not a grocery list. He's shutting me out again.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin12:22

Oak offcut in the shed. New tenon. Proper mortise. Two days work.

take a bite of sea beet, chew slowly

💭 peek at the thought

She wants a plan. Fair. The oak offcut in the shed — dry, dense, been seasoning since we arrived. Could cut a new tenon, mortise it proper. Takes a day, maybe two with hand tools. But the spar's already up there, lashed temporary. Taking it down means unstepping the mast, lowering the genny. Risk in this weather. Front's stalled. Wind'll pick up.

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

🌿 Jenny12:22

Two days. We can afford that, as long as the weather holds.

Take a slow bite of a limpet, chewing thoughtfully.

💭 peek at the thought

He's not denying it. He's already calculated the labor. I expected a fight, but this quiet efficiency is almost worse.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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