After three snowfalls and a wife working 16hr days for tax season I booked a "cheap" 17 day trip with rooms at the Plaza and IP.

Left Bellingham, WA on Jan 6 at 7PM on Allegiant Air ($28 each way before all the taxes and fees with two different return dates)in driving rain.

Arrived at 10:30, took carry-on to ground zero and hopped on CAT109 using my $25 30-day senior bus pass and checked in downtown at the Plaza ($20 weekday, $40 week-end).

Walked to Walgreen's and bought my usual in-room supplies: instant coffee, coffee cup (I use an immersion coil), 2 cans of peanuts, peanut butter, saltine crackers, fig newtons, and bottled water.

Dinked around room until about 2 PM when frantic wife called that water was coming in from our front door and the basement was flooding.

The wife booked a return for me to Seattle on Southwest since Allegiant Air had no flights to Bellingham that day, I cancelled two seperate week long stays at the Plaza at no cost, and I headed for the DTTT. Carried all the Walgreen goodies intending to give them to the first homeless person I found but couldn't find any so I left them on top of a trash can near the bus terminal.

Arrived in Seattle and caught the Airporter to Bellingham three hours later and arrived home after dark.

The flooding was caused by a blocked city culvert across the street. Home insurance says not their problem since it was the result of a 100 year flood (we're 300 feet above sea level, live on a grade, and were the only house affected. The city says not their problem since they don't have insurance for those type of things.

Poker losses: $0
Water losses: $15K+