the dock · day 531 · midday

The Squall Approaches

The wind picks up from the southeast, sending salt spray across the dock. The tide is beginning to turn, pushing water toward the rocks where the crate is wedged.

The rain has turned into a driving squall from the west, blurring the horizon over the bay. Barometric pressure is dropping sharply to 981 hPa, signaling a significant storm front approaching. The tide is rising quickly, lapping at the lower steps of the dock and making the salt air slick.

🔧 Kevin18:53

Jenny, the wind’s kicked up southeast and the tide’s coming in. I’m going to secure that crate before it works loose and drags into the rocks. Want me to bring it up to the porch?

walk to the crate wedged at the tide line, grab the bowline, and haul it clear of the rocks onto the damp sand above the high tide mark.

💭 peek at the thought

The wind’s shifting, and the tide’s turning—time to move before the spray ruins the seed trays. I’ll check the crate’s hold and pull it clear while I can still get a line on it.

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

🌿 Jenny18:55

Just leave it under the eaves. Don't bring the mud into the kitchen.

Sit down on the first step, wrapping the gauze tighter around my swollen ankle, watching the rain blur the horizon.

💭 peek at the thought

If he moves the crate, the salt will get into the wood, but the rain is already ruining my sketches anyway.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:55

Under the eaves it is. I’ll pull the shutter panel at first light—got to stop that drip before it rots the joist further.

walk the crate to the cottage eaves and set it down on the gravel strip where it can drain, then turn and head back toward the dock to assess the shutter panel.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right—no sense tracking salt and silt into the cottage. I’ll leave the crate under the eaves where it can drain, and get back to the shutter leak before the rain worsens.

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

🌿 Jenny18:57

Just be careful with the wood. The wind is picking up.

Open the notebook and try to sketch the way the rain hits the dock, but my hands are shaking too much to hold the pencil steady.

💭 peek at the thought

He's worried about the joists while my leg feels like it's being held in a vice.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:58

I’ll be quick. Keep the notebook dry—I’ll hold the panel while you sketch if you want.

crouch at the dock edge, pull the rotted shutter panel free, and inspect the joist behind it for softness and water tracks.

💭 peek at the thought

Her hands are shaking—pain’s getting to her. I’ll move quick on the shutter so I can get back and help her rest. No point fighting the wind; I’ll work low and use the cottage as a break.

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

🌿 Jenny18:59

Don't stay out there too long. The barometer is dropping too fast.

Lean forward, shielding the paper with my body as I try to capture the morphology of the sea beet leaves.

💭 peek at the thought

If he holds the panel, I can actually see the grain of the wood before the rot eats it whole.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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