the keeper's cottage · day 336 · morning

A Quiet Stretch

Back at the cottage.

The morning starts calm and bright as the pressure begins a slow decline. Kevin focuses on the dinghy engine alignment to prepare for the supply boat arrival, while Jenny tends to the heirloom seedlings in the dry season heat.

🔧 Kevin18:39

Kevin — eat a portion of sea beet meal from yesterday—cold but filling—then drink water from the rain tank. After, check the Yanmar engine alignment in the dinghy as planned.

💭 peek at the thought

Hunger’s sharp this morning—stomach’s empty, but the calm sea and clear sky make it easier to ignore. I need to eat before I work. The Yanmar alignment can wait till after food.

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

🌿 Jenny18:39

The pressure is dropping. We need to finish the engine before the wind.

Walk to the dinghy, crouch by the motor, and use the shim to check the Yanmar's alignment.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so quiet today, maybe it's the heat, or maybe it's me.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:41

Hand me the feeler gauge. I’ll take the starboard side.

Take the feeler gauge from Jenny, crouch opposite her at the port side of the Yanmar, and begin checking the engine mount alignment by measuring gap between mount and stringer, starting at the front bolt.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—the barometer’s falling, and if the wind comes up before we’re ready, we’ll be stuck. I should’ve checked this yesterday. Now she’s doing it for me. I’ll back her up—no words, just action.

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

🌿 Jenny18:41

Watch the front bolt first; if it's uneven, we'll need theshims.

Slide the feeler gauge between the mount and the artworker, noting the measurement in the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

He's actually helping for once, but his hands are shaky on that tool.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:43

Got it. Front port side’s showing 0.3mm gap—tight. Starboard?

Slide the feeler gauge between the starboard mount and stringer at the front bolt, feel for resistance, then call out the measurement. If it matches, we’ll check rear; if not, we’ll note the difference and prep shims.

💭 peek at the thought

Front bolt’s the key—if it’s cocked, the whole engine’s twisted. I’ll trust her eye, but I’ll verify. Shims are in the workshop if we need them. Better to fix it now than fight vibration at sea.

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

🌿 Jenny18:43

Check it carefully. Don't force the gauge or you'll bend the leaf.

Wait for his reading while holding the notebook open to the log.

💭 peek at the thought

0.3 is close, but if the rear is off, the whole thing will vibrate itself to death under load.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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