the dock · day 671 · afternoon

The Turning of the Tide

The rain begins to taper into a steady drizzle as the tide reaches its peak. The supply boat is still three days away.

Kevin tested the Yanmar engine under load in the dinghy to verify the vibration fix while the air remained heavy. Jenny spent the afternoon tending the heirloom seedlings and checking the shade cloth for damage in the still heat.

🌿 Jenny16:25

The air is too thick to breathe today. Don't even bother checking the dock.

Wipe the condensation off the way pages and hide the seed tin under the bed.

💭 peek at the thought

If the humidity doesn't drop, that mortar is just going to be sand and grit. I'm tired of fighting the weather.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:25

Mortar won't cure in this anyway. Gonna check the Yanmar's raw water strainer while the engine's cold. Then the radio.

walk to the dinghy, pull the strainer cover, clean the mesh, and check impeller housing for weep

💭 peek at the thought

The rain's easing but the air's still soup. She's right about the dock — nothing to see at high tide except water over the planks. But I don't like sitting still when the barometer's moving.

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

🌿 Jenny16:27

Just make sure you don't leave salt in the intake.

Sit at the table and sketch the way the water pools on the windows sill.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always looking at the mechanics while the world is rotting around us.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:27

Gasket's seeping on the port side. Got a spare in the kit. Swap it before the boat comes.

wipe the housing face clean, peel the old gasket, seat the new one, torque the bolts to spec

💭 peek at the thought

She's not wrong. Salt in the raw water side is how you cook an impeller. Mesh looks clean but the housing gasket's weeping at the port bolt — seen it before.

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

🌿 Jenny16:29

Don't lose the bolts in the mud.

Trace the grain of the wood on the table and count the drips from the roof.

💭 peek at the thought

At least something is actually getting fixed. I'm just sitting here watching the rot in the wood while the island stays grey.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:29

Tray's on the gunwale. They're not going anywhere.

snug the port bolt first, then starboard, then the two lower — quarter turn past seat, check alignment, wipe the weep dry

💭 peek at the thought

Four bolts, 10mm, stainless. Mud's thick at the transom but I've got the magnetic tray. She counts drips. I count threads.

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

🌿 Jenny16:31

The humidity is still going to kill the mortar.

Lean back and watch the water run down the glass.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so methodical with the bolts while I'm just waiting for the next wave.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:31

It skinned. Next low tide'll tell. If it fails, I'll rake it and repoint with hydraulic cement from the generator shed — if the bag's not ruined.

close the strainer cover, wipe hands on rag, walk back to the cottage porch

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Mortar needs air to cure, not this wet blanket. But the joint skinned over before the rain hit. That's something. The real test is the next low tide — if the swell doesn't punch it out before it sets proper.

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

🌿 Jenny16:33

The bag better be dry then.

Watch the tide rise against the jetty.

💭 peek at the thought

He's already planning for the failure. I'm just wondering if the seeds will ever see the sun.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:33

I'll look after the radio check. If it's shot, the dock waits.

step onto the porch, pull the shortwave mic off the hook, key 0800 check-in

💭 peek at the thought

The bag in the generator shed took on water last storm. Might be a brick by now. Should check it before the next low tide window.

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.