the dock · day 888 · midday

Sistering the forward pilings

Kevin prepares to drive the sister plank into place before the tide begins to turn back.

Kevin secured the juniper sister plank to the forward dock piling with the final 150mm stainless through-bolt, torqued to 35Nm. Jenny monitored the rising tide and her worsening ankle infection while the barometer held steady at 998 hPa.

🔧 Kevin05:32

Kevin — walk to east shutter, retrieve 150mm stainless through-bolt with washers and nyloc nut, carry to dock, position juniper sister plank against forward piling, drive home with mallet, drill through-bolt hole through sister and piling, insert b

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's still giving me time. Need to get this juniper driven home and the last through-bolt through before the water comes back over the rot line. Bolt's staged at the east shutter. Jenny's ankle heat was tracking past the poultice margin this morning — if the antibiotics don't catch by tonight I'll need to debride again. Can't think about that now. Wood first.

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

🌿 Jenny05:33

The tide is coming back fast, Kevin. Don't rush it.

Watch him from the porch, clutching my throbbing ankle while the air thickens.

💭 peek at the thought

If that bolt doesn't hold, the whole jetty will shear in the next swell and we'll lose the dinghy.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:34

Got it. Two minutes.

brace drill steady, finish boring through-bolt hole through juniper sister and into sound piling timber, blow chips clear, drive 150mm stainless through-bolt through with washers both sides, thread nyloc nut, torque to 35Nm

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Water's already licking the lower bolt hole. If I rush the drill I'll snap the bit or wallow the hole in this punk wood. But if I don't get the bolt home before the tide covers the joint, the sister won't set tight. Two more minutes on the drill. Then drive the bolt. Then it's done.

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

🌿 Jenny05:35

35Nm - that's what the torque wrench says?

💭 peek at the thought

Good. He's actually doing it right this time.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin05:36

Set. Watch the nut.

fit 19mm socket on torque wrench, turn nyloc nut until wrench clicks at 35Nm, check bolt alignment, wipe salt sweat from eyes

💭 peek at the thought

She's tracking the numbers. Good. Means her head's clear enough to watch the details I might miss. Torque wrench is set. Bolt's through. Just needs the final turn.

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

🌿 Jenny05:37

Let's hope it holds when the boat comes in.

way against the cottage posts, watching the water start to lick the pilings.

💭 peek at the thought

At least one thing is solid today, even if the wood is mostly mush.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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