And Willie Said: Find Willie's Orca Card, January, 2016

I love Seattle.

One of the fun things we like is riding the Rapid Ride public bus system. Tym and June put us onto this a few years ago. We can go from the north side of Seattle, Stimson Marina in Ballard, where Willie's Tug, is to downtown, transfer to the Light Rail, which will drop us at SeaTac Airport.

And many points in between.

So last year we went to the main bus terminal to each get a pass card, load about $20 on them for about 20 rides. This could last a few years.

We are back now for the Seattle boat Show and riding the Rapid Ride. Now I have a brilliant idea -- I used to have a thin wallet that held my Stimson pass and my bus pass, so with it, all I had to do is wave the wallet near the contact and the marina gate would open or the bus pass clicked off a $1 and marked me Paid.

But today I use a different wallet, but think it would work to put the bus pass on top of my hand inside a tightly fitting glove. I wave it at the contact and it works great for a smooth entrance to the bus.

While sitting in the seat, I get a text, reach into a jacket pocket for my phone and unbeknownst to me, my card falls out of my not-so-tight glove onto the floor. I realize it as the '70 Bus' leaves the stop after dropping us at Lake Union for the Boats Afloat Show. It would do no good to yell after the bus a block away now. So Herb calls the Orca issuing company to cancel my card, but they will not transfer my remaining $14.50 to his card. Neither can he pay my passage with his pass. Bummer. I can get a replacement card at the issuing station on Jackson, and remember I have the original receipt in my wallet -- which is not with us!

I travel light sometimes.

Ingenious: We ride the shuttle from Lake Union to Century Link, walk to Jackson Street issuing station.

The agent laughs at my story, we pay our $3 replacement cost, and look around to see what is in the neighborhood. Kitty-cornered is the Klondike Museum, a national park, so we go there and totally enjoy the exhibits, reliving our trip in the motor home to Alaska ten years ago.

Find the silver lining to my bad day....