the keeper's cottage · day 933 · midday

Midday Preparations

The sun is higher now, and the breeze is steady. You and Jenny discuss the final checklist for the boat's arrival.

Kevin spent the afternoon inspecting the dock for rot as the tide began to rise. Jenny tested the soil pH near the south slope and transplanted the healthy sea beet seedlings into the prepared beds.

🔧 Kevin01:29

Three planks at the seaward end. Port stringer's punky underneath. Crane'll punch right through if we don't sister it before they winch anything heavy.

walk the dock to the seaward end, crouch and probe the port stringer with the nail puller where the chalk marks are

💭 peek at the thought

Boat comes tomorrow. Need the dock solid enough to take the crane load. Three planks marked at the seaward end — rot goes deep. Sistered the starboard stringer last week but the port side's still soft. If the stringer gives under the pallet weight, we lose the whole finger.

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

🌿 Jenny01:29

I'll get the sister plates from the shed. Just don't load anything on it until we have it braced.

lean against the porch post, wincing as weight shifts off my ankle, and look toward the tool shed.

💭 peek at the thought

If that stringer goes, the whole dock tilts into the surf. We need those heavy-duty bolts, now.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:30

Greenheart plates are under the east eaves. Two eight-footers, bolt holes pre-drilled. Grab the 150mm through-bolts from the shutter bench — one left.

brace the nail puller against the dock plank and lever up the marked section to check how far the rot runs under the stringer

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the bad ankle hard. Should've made her stay off it today but she won't listen. At least she's not arguing the repair.

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

🌿 Jenny01:31

I'll get the plates and the last bolt. Check if we need more washers while I'm out there.

limp toward the shed, keeping one hand on the railing for balance as the throbbing in my ankle spikes.

💭 peek at the thought

If the wood is too soft, the bolts won't even hold the tension of the plates.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:32

Washers in the jam jar on the shelf. Nylocs next to it. Count what's there.

drive the nail puller deeper along the stringer seam, prying up the plank edge to expose the port stringer face and measure the rot line with the pencil stub

💭 peek at the thought

One bolt left. That's it. If the port stringer needs more than one sister plate, we're improvising. Washers we've got — nylocs too, few left in the jar. Need to see how much sound wood's left to bite into.

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

🌿 Jenny01:33

I need to check the supply crate — there might be more bolts in the hardware box.

shuffle back toward cottage, favoring my left leg, and peer toward the kitchen shelf where the jam jar sits.

💭 peek at the thought

One bolt means one through-bolt, but I need three to properly secure that sister plate across the full damaged section.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

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