Field Notes
Observations on the systems that shape public life.
Field Notes is a place for essays, observations, and working thoughts on roads, local government, public meetings, civic memory, public works, local institutions, and the ordinary machinery behind everyday public life.
On the name The Jacques of All Trades
The Jacques of All Trades is not a claim of mastery. It is a confession of humility: the ordinary Jack, the inherited Jacques, and the belief that usefulness still matters.
The Ground Remembers: Hugh Mercer, Princeton, and the Civic Work of Memory
A Memorial Day reflection on Hugh Mercer, the Battle of Princeton, local memory, and why America’s founding still lives in the roads, counties, battlefields, and public places we inherit.
Why County Roads Matter
A note on county routes, regional corridors, and the overlooked infrastructure that quietly organizes everyday civic life.
The Public Meeting Is Still a Civic Technology
A reflection on meetings, procedure, trust, and why the room still matters in public work.
Real Places Need Better Explanations
Why civic communication should begin with place, context, and institutional reality rather than generic messaging.
The Language of Public Work
Why the words organizations use to describe civic work so often fail the work itself — and what clearer language actually requires.