the dock · day 261 · morning

The Rising Tide

Kevin and Jenny meet at the edge of the dock as the water reaches the mark of the new planks. The grey sky darkens, and the first heavy drops of rain hit the water.

Kevin and Jenny secured a new dock plank against the rising tide, then Kevin carried the rusted seed tin to the cottage porch while Jenny hurried to gather sea beet leaves in the garden. A sudden slip on the slick dock caused Jenny to wrench her ankle as she turned toward the garden.

🔧 Kevin17:52

Jenny—hold the plank steady while I drill through. We’ve got maybe twenty minutes before this tide lifts it clear.

Grab the cordless drill and two 10mm stainless bolts from my belt, kneel on the dock, and start drilling pilot holes through the new plank into the sound stringer below, Jenny bracing the wood with her hands as rain slicks the surface.

💭 peek at the thought

The dock’s giving way under the tide—those new planks aren’t bonded to the stringers, just laid on top. If the boat comes heavy, it’ll punch through. I need to sister them now, before the rain soaks the joints further.

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

🌿 Jenny17:54

Hold it tight, Kevin. The tide is coming faster than usual.

Jenny leans her weight against the timber to keep it from rocking, her eyes fixed on the drill bit as it bites the wood.

💭 peek at the thought

If these planks shift before the boat comes, the whole way in will be lost to the surge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin17:54

Got it. Second hole—watch your fingers.

Drill the second pilot hole, drive the first bolt home with the impact driver, then the second, checking the plank doesn't shift as the wash hits my knees.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right—the tide's pushing harder than the charts said. The stringer's sound but the end grain's drinking salt. Need to get both bolts home before the water covers the work.

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

🌿 Jenny17:56

It's tight. Get the seeds inside before the rain really opens up.

Jenny wipes the saltwater from her eyes with a forearm and looks at the rusted tin sitting on the bench.

💭 peek at the thought

The wood is holding for now, but the rot in the old supports was deep.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin17:56

On it. I’ll take the tin to the porch and stack the tarp over it while you grab the tray from the garden.

Scoop up the rusted seed tin, cradling it against my chest, and jog toward the cottage porch, ducking under the eaves as the first fat drops hit my neck.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s already thinking ahead—seeds first, then shelter. The tin’s been on the bench since yesterday; if the downpour starts now, the paper packets inside will turn to mush before I can cover them.

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

🌿 Jenny17:58

Hurry! I'm getting the sea beet leaves now!

Jenny turns and bolts toward the half-weeded garden, her boots slipping on the slick mud as she reaches for the drying herbs.

💭 peek at the thought

The seeds are going to be ruined if the moisture gets into that tin again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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