The Weaver's Collective Curios: Taxation without Representation

OK, we are live again! We are coming up to our 3rd month residing in the DC area (technically Bethesda, MD) and have adapted to the bad driving, massive population density, and sordid federal spending. Shawna is now working for Dr. Marie Kay as a dental receptionist/dental assistant three days a week in Tenley Town. The dentist is an enigmatic Vietnamese lady who runs her practice out of her own house. Shawna enjoys the assisting but despises anything to do with insurance. My job has been busy at the hospital with post Army-Navy integration and reorganization woes in full effect. I thought I had prepared myself to stomach government waste and abuse but my expectations fell an order of magnitude short. I watch half a million dollars get sucked into human resources, facilities and infrastructure in a heartbeat. Half the time money is all dried up and the other half there is so much money available that no one can spend it fast enough. No one seems to care though, in pursuit of the finest healthcare and medical education that taxpayer money can buy.

In the last week of October my Mom and Mike ran over to DC to visit us. Three days later, my dad came to visit. We saw the DC sights, visited the Shenandoah Valley, visited Harper's Ferry and Antietam, biked along the Potomac and saw a concert in downtown DC.


Capitol Bldg

Antietam Battlefield, Dunkard Church in the background

The weekend before Thanksgiving we visited Shawna's relatives in Pennsylvania. It was my first time setting foot in this state. Most of Shawna's cousins are die hard snowmobilers/outdoor sports enthusiast. We had a massive Thanksgiving feast with 20+ people; two Turkeys were devoured in a matter of an hour. Eileen was a great host and coordinator, thank you Eileen!