the dock · day 673 · morning

MORNING DAY 674

The rain tapers to a drizzle as the tide reaches its low. You meet at the dock to prepare for the supply boat.

Kevin repaired the failed mortar on the dock corner using hydraulic cement while checking the dinghy engine mounts. Jenny monitored the north slope for erosion and sketched the dock's structural cracks as the tide receded.

🔧 Kevin18:27

Tide's low enough. Let's get the dock cleared and the dinghy ready. Boat's due tomorrow.

walk to the north dock corner with tools, scrape out the failed mortar with a chisel, brush the joint clean with a wire brush, then check the dinghy's mooring lines and fenders for chafe

💭 peek at the thought

The rain's finally backing off. Mortar won't set right in this damp, but I can at least clean out the failed patch and prep the joint proper for when the boat arrives tomorrow. Need to check the dinghy's lines one more time too — supply boat's wake can be vicious in this channel.

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

🌿 Jenny18:27

I'll check the north slope while you work on that. The soil looks too heavy.

Lean against the timber of the jetty, shifting my weight to my good leg and wincing as the infection pulses.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is screaming with every step, but if that boat doesn't come, I'll run out of antibiotics.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:28

Your call. But if the slope moves, you don't have the leg to run it. Stay on the timber.

finish brushing the dock joint, blow the dust clear, mix a stiff batch of hydraulic cement from the tin in the shed, pack it into the corner with a pointing trowel, strike it smooth, then move to the dinghy to double-check the bow line and

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the leg hard. The antibiotic course should've knocked the worst back by now. If it's still pulsing, the infection's tracking deeper or the drainage's inadequate. She shouldn't be on the north slope — loose ground, no handholds, and she can't brace if it gives way.

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

🌿 Jenny18:29

I'll stay near the edge. I'm not going far.

Pull my notebook and a pencil from my pocket and begin sketching the cracks in the dock's rotten planks while my ankle burns.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks staying on the dock is safer, but I can see the way the water is channeling through the ridge above.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:31

Engine mounts. Ten minutes. Holler if the slope shifts.

crouch at the dinghy transom, wiggle the Yanmar housing to test the bronze sleeve and adapter alignment, check the four mount bolts for torque with a 19mm wrench, inspect the prop shaft coupling for play, then wipe the dipstick and top off

💭 peek at the thought

She's documenting the rot instead of resting. Stubborn. The sketches are useful — she catches things I miss — but she's burning energy she doesn't have on a leg that's still hot. The hydraulic cement I just packed needs an hour to kick. Might as well use the wait to check the dinghy's engine mounts while the tide's out and the hull's accessible.

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

🌿 Jenny18:32

I'm watching the water. way keep an eye on the boat.

Sit on the edge of the jetty, breath waying as the throb hits my ankle, and start sketching the erosion patterns near the shrine.

💭 peek at the thought

If that slope goes, the whole garden wall comes down with it. I need to see how deep those cracks are actually getting.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:34

Cement's holding. Checking the north piling sister bolts before the tide turns.

walk to the north piling, test the two 10mm stainless through-bolts on the greenheart sister plank with a wrench, confirm the oak wedges in the mooring ring mortise are tight, then return to the dinghy and verify the storm anchor warp runs

💭 peek at the thought

She's not watching the water — she's sketching the shrine erosion. The pencil's moving fast. Good hand, bad leg. The cement on the dock corner's firming; tide's still low enough to check the sister knee bolts on the north piling before the water comes back. The supply boat'll need clean approach lines. I'll verify the storm anchor warp's clear on the dinghy bow while I'm at it.

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

🌿 Jenny18:35

Watch the ridge. The soil looks heavier than it did.

Trace the line where the water is cutting through the moss on the rock, wincing as the infection pulses in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The water is too still for this heat. If the boat doesn't show tomorrow, I'm in deep trouble with this leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin18:36

Seen it. Trench needs extending upslope. Tide's turning — getting the dinghy ready and the cottage secured.

return to the dinghy, coil the bow and stern lines neatly, confirm the fenders are positioned for the supply boat's side, stow the oars and anchor, then walk back to the cottage and check the porch shutters, radio aerial, and generator lash

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The moss line's pulled back — water's cutting a new channel along the bedrock seam. That slope's been saturated for weeks; the Carex roots are the only thing stitching it. If the supply boat's crane loads heavy on the dock, the vibration could trigger a slip. Need to extend the drainage trench upslope before tomorrow. But the tide's turning — water's already lapping the lowest dock boards. North piling bolts are tight, wedges holding. Time to get the dinghy squared away and the cottage battened for the boat's arrival.

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

🌿 Jenny18:37

I'll be at the cottage. Don't go too far.

Limp back toward the cottage, clutching the railing for support, and watch the north slope for any movement.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide is going out, and so is my patience. I need to get off this dock before the ankle gives out completely.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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