the dock · day 496 · dawn

Morning Heat and Maintenance

Kevin and Jenny sit on the dock planks as the heat begins to shimmer over the water. Kevin is inspecting the Yanmar engine mount bolts for loosening, while Jenny soaks her ankle in a bucket of salt water.

Kevin spent the early hours at the dock working on the Yanmar's prop shaft sleeve while the tide was out. He managed to pull the sleeve, but the salt air has caused significant pitting on the metal, requiring more aggressive filing than he anticipated. Jenny remained at the cottage, managing the pain in her ankle and ensuring the next poultice was prepared to combat the throbbing heat of the infection.

🔧 Kevin06:47

Mount’s solid. No play. But I’ll pull the prop shaft sleeve again at low tide—see if it’s walking.

Hand Jenny the limpets from the bucket, still warm, wrapped in a clean cloth.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine bolts are tight, but the vibration’s still there. Salt’s getting into everything—wood, metal, even the silence between us. She hasn’t said a word since we sat down. I wonder if she’s waiting for me to say something, or if she’s already said all she can.

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

🌿 Jenny06:48

Check the sleeve for scoring first. The salt air is doing hell to the metal.

Takes the limpets, winces as the water hits the infection, and begins to eat in silence.

💭 peek at the thought

He's looking at bolts while my skin is literally coming off the bone.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:49

I’ll pull it now, while it’s cool. Want me to rinse the bucket after? Salt’s not helping the wound.

Stand, walk to the dinghy, and begin loosening the prop shaft nut with the heavy wrench.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—salt’s eating the sleeve, and I’ve been ignoring it because the engine still turns. But if it scores, we lose compression, and then we’re really stuck. She’s eating slow, like each bite costs her. I don’t ask if it hurts. I already know.

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

🌿 Jenny06:50

It's an osmotic draw, Kevin. It pulls the fluid out. Leave it.

Leans back against a piling and carefully peels the cloth from the limpets.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks a rinse is the solution to sepsis. He's so focused on the machine he can't see the person.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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