Kevin Knauss: Health, History, Travel, Insurance
Posts by Kevin Knauss not related to health insurance or other categories, usually editorials, travel essays, food, pictures and maps.
It was a pandemic lengthen 2-year project to research and write a book on the life of Amos Catlin. In the course of the research, I could not locate the burial site for several of Amos Catlin’s children. Historic Sacramento Cemetery documents indicated that some of the children had been moved closer to their mother Ruth Anne (Donaldson) Catlin who died in 1878. However, there were no headstones in the plot with Ruth Anne and Amos.
“Amos P. Catlin, The Whig Who Put Sacramento On The Map,” chronicles Amos’ life from his arrival in California in 1849 to his death in 1900 in Sacramento. Particular attention is paid to Amos’ work on organizing and building the Natoma water ditch in the early 1850s. It was during the ditch construction that Amos was elected to the California Senate. He wrote the bill to relocate the state’s capital to Sacramento. However, Amos did not consider the water projects or the state capital his most significant accomplishments in life.
As I studied the variety of paver catalogs, my eyes kept coming back to the concrete cobble stone pavers. I liked the lines, shadows, colors, and certain random nature of the small irregular cobble stone paver. As real granite cobble stones were out of my budget, the target became one of the manufactured concrete cobble stone-like pavers. To complicate the design, we wanted to keep the walkway as a design element as it is a welcoming feature leading guests to the front door. The walkway would need to be a different style of paver.
Snowshoeing is hard work. You can quickly work up a sweat. Unless it is windy and very cold, you will be taking off your heavy goose down jacket shortly after commencing your hike. I have found that a leather jack is very comfortable, similar to what the immigrants wore, because it breaths and does not retain too much body heat.
At $40,000 the 2020 Kia Niro PHEV EX Premium compact SUV was the most expensive car I ever considered buying. After one year, the Niro has met my standards for a semi-premium vehicle. First, it is comfortable for my 6 foot and 1 inch height. I can drive for hours and never get a back or leg ache. One reason for the limited stress on my frame is the adaptive cruise control on the highway. I set the speed and car lengths between me and the car in front of me and the car does the rest. All I have to do is pay attention to the road and my surroundings. The adaptive cruise controls the car and saves gas because the vehicle stays at a relatively constant speed.
On a recent hiking excursion where I was leading a group of people on a history hike, I was able to try the different modes. Public speaking events, where I have to field questions, has been particularly difficult for me with my hearing loss. The Live Music mode suppressed the side noises and the person in front of me sounded clear, even when they were twenty feet away. I did switch to Outdoor mode so I could easily talk to the person next to me as we were hiking on the trail.
Overall, the bathroom remodel does not scream mid-century modern. It is more comfortably modern with some warmth from the natural wood vanity. I think it will age well. If we sell the house, there is a tub for children to have their bath time, so the family aspect of the room is not lost.
A woman’s right to an abortion should be a constitutional amendment. Only when a woman’s health care decisions are specifically enumerated within the constitution will this religious fascism dictating what a woman can do with her body finally be subdued.
A dam site at Salmon Falls was too low in elevation to allow for the ditch to exit the river canyon between Red Bank and Mormon Island. Consequently, the dam site was moved to Rocky Bar which had an elevation of approximately 450 feet. With a small dam across the river, the headwaters for the canal would be elevated to 465 feet. The minimal slope of the ditch line would put the water canal at between 390 to 395 feet of elevation at the saddle.
My Dear Mrs. Judah, a subject which has often been upon my mind, and upon which I have often intended to write to you has quite recently been renewed itself with more than usual force. History is now being made for California and much of it false. You know with what studious zeal efforts have been in a certain quarter to bury the memory of Theo. D. Judah out of sight to the future reader of the history of California. You know also how some of his friends have endeavored at times to preserve that memory.
