the dock · day 795 · night

NIGHT

The tide continues to drop, revealing the mud flats beneath the dock structure. The air remains heavy and still.

The tide is fully out, exposing the slick, barnacle-encrustedings of the dock. Kevin returns from the cottage with the heavy greenheart plates and bolts, while Jenny prepares the drill and epoxy on the dock, her ankle throbbing as she shifts her weight to stay off the rotting wood.

🔧 Kevin16:29

Kevin — walk along the dock to the north piling, crouch and probe the shim line with the nail puller, checking for movement or crush

💭 peek at the thought

Mud flats exposed. Good. Can see the full extent of the piling rot now. The south piling sister plate is holding, but the north piling's still soft at the mudline. Need to check the shims I drove yesterday before the next tide covers them.

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

🌿 Jenny16:31

The wood is like wet cardboard, Kevin. Don't push too hard.

sketch the cross-section of the rot in the back of the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

If that way gives way, the whole jetty goes into the surf, and I'm stuck with the dinghy.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin16:33

North piling's worse than the south was. Rot's past the mudline.

pull back from the piling, wipe the nail puller on my trousers, and walk back toward the cottage to get the greenheart sister plates and the 150mm through-bolts

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The nail puller sinks in with almost no resistance. The rot goes deeper than I thought. If the north piling goes, the whole seaward corner follows.

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

🌿 Jenny16:33

Bring the heavy plates. I'll get the drill and the epoxy.

stand up slowly, wincing as the ankle throbs, and head toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

I need to sister that thing before the next tide comes in, or the current will Take it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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