Category: This week at the cove

May 6 — 6:43 AM
I don’t find work. I create work.
Pine for birdhouses. Photos for the site. Contributors starting to line up. Above The Rock from the air, photographers from the shore, puffincove in the middle keeping the light on.
This year isn’t about forcing money. It’s about getting the tide moving.

May 6 — Morning
The day started with daylight at 5:30. Summer is showing itself now. Corner planters can wait until the 16th, but the work doesn’t stop. Pine birdhouses, photos, templates, CNC, and the website all still move the tide.
This year isn’t about forcing money. It’s about getting the flow started.

This Week at Puffincove

It was a mixed week at the cove — sleet, slow mornings, tired bones, and still a few good steps forward.

The CNC got some attention again. The gantry is rolling, the Y axis is moving, and the first real tests are starting to feel closer now. There’s still wiring, adjusting, and measuring to do, but the machine is no longer just an idea sitting there waiting. It is slowly becoming part of the workshop.

The birdhouse templates also came back into focus. The lesson this week was simple: photos are helpful, but measurements are what make a template useful. Once the shapes are marked properly, they can start their way toward CNC-ready patterns.

Puffincove also gained another small piece of its future with the clip library. Short scenes. Small moments. A boot sound on the dock. Owl with one quiet line. Raven returning with a story. These little ideas may not look like much yet, but they are the kind of pieces that can grow into something bigger.

Miss Light Keeper also stepped closer to the lantern again. Her stories still feel like they belong near the lighthouse — quiet, old, and full of things remembered.

So this week was not about rushing.

It was about showing up.

A little sawdust.
A little story.
A little light still on.

And that is enough for this week at Puffincove.

Lesson Learned

A template without measurements is only half a template.

The shape matters, but the numbers are what let the workshop repeat it. This week reminded us that the old carpenter way still matters, even when the work is heading toward a CNC.

Looking Ahead

Next up is simple: mark the templates properly, keep sorting the CNC, and prepare for the first clean test cuts.

Nothing fancy yet.

Just one good line, one good movement, and one more step toward bringing Puffincove out of the screen and into the shop.

The cove does not move fast.

It moves steady.

And steady is starting to look pretty good.

This week at the cove, you got:

CNC moved forward
You got time at the CNC, gantry rolling, Y moving, Z axis being figured out, and you started thinking in real work terms now — wiring, stops, trimming the Z to length, and getting ready for first writing/cutting tests.

Birdhouse templates started
You got the templates in your hands and started sorting out how to get the face shapes ready for CNC. We figured out the big lesson: photos alone are not enough unless the measurements are marked right on the template.

Bottle stand / Christmas product kept alive
You talked through the pine boards, platform, and backboard for “A piece of Newfoundland to hold in your heart.” That idea is still one of the big product tests for this summer, aiming toward Christmas.

Betty got running
That was a big one. You got the local Ollama/Betty setup working after the Modelfile trouble. First real local AI win on the server.

Puffincove Clip Library started
You made the folder idea and locked in the purpose:

small 10–30 second scenes, one moment, repeatable sound cues, ending with feeling.

Current clips:
Clip 001 — Sunset Cove
Clip 002 — The Boot Sound
Clip 003 — Owl’s One Line
Clip 004 — Squirrel’s Store
Clip 005 — Raven Returns

Miss Light Keeper came back
We started shaping Miss Light Keeper as part of This Week at the Cove — that old lighthouse voice, the story feeling, not too much explaining.

Website direction got clearer
You kept circling back to This Week at Puffincove, blog/category structure, and how short weekly updates can link deeper into full pages later.

And maybe the biggest one
You kept showing up.

Even with sleet, tiredness, depression, confusion, templates acting up, and the screen foolishness — you still got pieces moved ahead.

That’s not nothing.

That’s a week at Puffincove

This Week at Puffincove

Still a bit of white on the ground this week…
spring trying to find its way in.

Things moved a little slower here.

Got the front door open—people can find their way in now.
That felt like something.

Some days were clear…
some a bit heavier than others.
But the light stayed on all the same.

Put the kettle on more than once.
Sometimes that’s all you need.

If you’re passing through, take your time.
No rush here.

— Puffincove

Getting things set up this week.
CNC almost ready to move.
Taking it slow and figuring things out.

Getting things set up this week.
CNC almost ready to move.
Taking it slow and figuring things out.

Prototype 2

Snow outside again… but things are starting to take shape here at Puffin Cove.

Worked on a few early builds this week.
Still rough, still learning, but they’re starting to feel right.

The feeder house is coming together — top for shelter, bottom for feeding.
Tried a more whimsical version too… something that feels like it belongs here by the water.

Nothing rushed. Just building one piece at a time.

Seagull’s been around, of course…
thump… thunk… into everything.

More to come as we figure it out.

All paths lead here.

CNC Build https://puffincove2025.ca/c-n-c-build/

It’s been a productive week here! I finally got our server installed into its case and the fans are humming along
nicely. It’s always satisfying to see a project come together like that.

I also spent some time setting up Ollama and built a custom model of Puffin Cove to use as a testing ground. It’s
been fun experimenting with different scenarios and seeing how things play out. And, I’m happy to report that our
story generation is working smoothly now after some tweaks to the behavior algorithms.

To be honest, it’s been a bit of a rough stretch lately, but getting these projects done has really helped me feel
more focused and motivated again. Next steps for the website and content are looking promising too – excited to
share those with you soon!

That’s it from here for now. Back to work!

CNC Build https://puffincove2025.ca/c-n-c-build/