the dock · day 848 · midday

High Tide Piling Rein

Kevin and Jenny work to wedge the greenheart shims under the south piling before the tide covers the work.

Kevin installs the final seaward dock plank using the greenheart core, carefully bolting the joint as the tide recedes. Jenny spends the afternoon monitoring the north ridge transects, though the heavy humidity makes her movements sluggish.

🌿 Jenny15:51

Watch the angle, Kevin. The salt is already making the wood swell.

Pushes a greenheart shim into the gap with the mallet, gritting teeth as the ankle throbs under the weight.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide is coming faster than the forecast; if these shims don't seat, the whole way goes into the drink.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:51

Shim's seated. Bolt holes lined - we'll have to work quick with the through-bolts before the tide hits the cottage foundation.

Push the greenheart shim fully into the piling gap, then use the torque wrench to drive the 150mm stainless through-bolt through the sister plate and into the piling, tightening to 35Nm while Jenny holds the washer against the swelling wood

💭 peek at the thought

The tide's coming in fast - six hours and the south piling will be underwater. That fracture line's still advancing three millimetres every six hours under load. Need to get these shims seated before the water covers the joint, before the galling on those seaward bolts starts working loose.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🌿 Jenny15:53

Tighten it down. Don't let it shift while it sets.

Presses her palm against the sister plate, shifting weight to her good leg to keep the timber steady.

💭 peek at the thought

If that bolt doesn't hold, the whole jetty is going to warp on the next high tide.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:53

Holding.

Torque the 150mm stainless through-bolt down to 35Nm, checking the sister plate alignment stays true as the nut seats, then wipe excess epoxy from the joint before the tide covers it

💭 peek at the thought

She's holding the plate steady on a busted ankle. The tide's licking at the piling base now - salt water in the bolt holes before the epoxy cures. Got to get this torqued before the joint moves.

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

🌿 Jenny15:55

Check the alignment again. We need it level when the boat comes.

Wipes the grey sludge from the bolt with a rag, watching the water creep up toward the dock.

💭 peek at the thought

The epoxy is holding, but the wood is too soft from the rot to be sure.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:55

Level. Bubble's centered on the plate.

Tap the torpedo level against the sister plate to confirm, then step back as the tide covers the bolt heads, watching for any movement in the joint under the first wash

💭 peek at the thought

Water's at the shim line. The alignment's true - sister plate flush, piling vertical within a degree. The boat's six days out at high tide, two hour window. This joint holds or the dock doesn't.

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

🌿 Jenny15:57

It's done for now. I need to get this ankle cleaned before it starts weeping.

Picks up the torque wrench and the rag, limps back toward the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

If it shifts now, I'm not going back under it in the dark.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin15:57

Go. I'll secure the tools and check the north piling shims before the water gets there.

Gather the torque wrench, mallet, and remaining epoxy tub, walk back up the dock toward the cottage, pause at the north piling to tap the shim line with the hammer handle checking for movement

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring it bad. The antibiotics held the fever but the wound's still angry - saw the pus on the gauze this morning. Tide's rising fast now, covering the south piling work. Six days to the supply boat. The dock held through the storm, held through the retrofit. One more variable to watch.

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.