This is where I write things down.

Some of it comes from work, some from time outside, and some from trying to make sense of things I don’t fully understand yet. Some of it isn’t meant to be polished or complete. Some of it is just a record of what I’ve been paying attention to, or what I’m doing or what I did or what happened to me or what I’ve built or what I’m building.

I started “ThePaperTrails” as a place for my writing that didn’t fit anywhere else. Stories about fishing trips, camping adventures (or misadventures), vehicle projects, stuff written for long-ago-abandoned business ideas.  Some ideas, some observations, some things I wanted to remember later.

My work background is a mix of mechanical work, regulatory work, whatever else interesting that I could do that someone would pay me for, and work that got me closer to the water. I’ve worked on helicopters, boats, dealt with wetlands regulations, and spent a lot of time fixing, building, or figuring out things.  That probably shows up here, whether I intend it to or not.

A lot of what I write about falls into a few patterns:

• time outside, time outside in the winter, time outside way too late at night
• projects, repairs, and basketcase vehicles that I buy and drive for many miles
• thoughts and stories about what I have observed and experienced

Some pieces are more reflective. Others are just a straightforward account of what happened.

That’s about it….for now.  Thanks for reading,

-Joe