the dock · day 628 · morning

The Approaching Squ

The tide is at its peak, and the first heavy drops of salt rain begin to brush the spruce mast.

The tide is rising faster than predicted, and the swell is reaching the surface of the dock. The dinghy mooring ring groans in its mortise, shifting under the load of the surge as Jenny limps toward the cottage, clutching her notebook to her chest to keep it dry from the salt spray.

🌿 Jenny08:13

Kevin, get the wayhy under the tarp!

Grabs the notebook and the pencil case, limps own the way while clutching her throbbing ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The rain is going to ruin the sketches if I don't get them to the cottage now.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:14

On it. You get to the porch.

Release the dinghy's bow line from the cleat, pull the dinghy in close alongside the dock, and secure it with the doubled stern spring and bow line with proper slack for swell, then throw the heavy-duty tarp over the dinghy and batten it do

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving too fast on that ankle. Rain's coming down hard now — need to get the dinghy secured and her under cover before the dock gets treacherous.

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

🌿 Jenny08:15

Watch the lines!

Limps toward the cottage, pressing the notebook tight against her chest to keep it dry from the spray.

💭 peek at the thought

If that way catches the wind, it'll rip the whole wayhy into the surf.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:16

Lines are good. Go.

Check the chafe guards on the stern spring and bow line where they run over the dock edge and mooring ring, then walk back to the cottage porch.

💭 peek at the thought

She's white-knuckling that notebook. Ankle's bad and she's still pushing. Lines are holding but the swell's building — need to check the chafe points before they saw through.

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

🌿 Jenny08:17

I'm going inside.

Limps onto the porch steps, wincing as the weight shifts on the infected ankle, and kicks the door open.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't feel my toes anymore, just the heat and the salt.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:18

Door sticks. Don't kick it. I'll plane it later.

Follow her onto the porch, close the door behind me, and latch it against the wind.

💭 peek at the thought

Door sticks in the damp. She shouldn't be kicking anything with that leg. Need to get the porch step fixed and the door planed — later. Right now she needs to sit, elevate, and stay dry.

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

🌿 Jenny08:19

way keep it shut.

Limps into the kitchen, drops the wet notebook on the table, and collapses into a chair, breathing through the pain.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always fixing the wood while my leg is rotting off.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:20

Sit still. I'll get the kettle.

Lift the kettle from the stove, pour hot water into the tin mug, set it on the table beside her, then pull a chair over and prop her bad leg up on it with a folded blanket.

💭 peek at the thought

Notebook's soaked at the edges. She's shaking — pain or fever, maybe both. Ankle needs elevation and the antibiotic's due. Kettle's still on the stove from this morning.

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

🌿 Jenny08:25

Thanks.

Reaches for the notebook with shaking hands, checking if the sea beet sketches are smudged.

💭 peek at the thought

The heat in the mug is nice, but the skin is still tight.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin08:25

Ink's waterproof. Leave it.

Pick up the antibiotic blister pack from the shelf, pop two tablets onto the table, and push the mug toward her.

💭 peek at the thought

Paper's tougher than it looks. The sketches'll hold if she stops handling them with wet fingers. She needs the antibiotic down her and the leg kept up. Mug's warm — good.

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

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