On my fifth trip to the PNW, I was stationed further north that before. Working in Arlington, I was staying about 30 min south in Mukilteo. Every weekend, I look for ways to entertain myself. Rather than sit through what I assume is a very busy border crossing in Vancouver, I drove up to Sumas WA which borders Abbotsford British Columbia. I had a loose plan to check out records and get a bite to eat. I had a record store pegged and after getting harassed at the border, I made it into the great white north! But on my way to the record store, I spotted a huge sign marked THRIFT STORE.
I didn’t have to think too deeply about it and quickly hit the brakes and pulled into the parking lot.
I found some vinyl stationed in the lower half of a magazine rack and got to digging. It didn’t take long to pull out a barbershop album. I knew pretty quickly I already had it but just seconds later found one of the annual international competition compilations. I wasn’t sure if I had this one or not (I have too many to count) and before I could flip it over I guessed that I’d the same quartet had won the competition that year. This was logical, assuming both records came from the same person. And alas I was correct, Most Happy Fellows did win it big in 1977. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to grab the 1977 live record when I noticed that the MHF LP was autographed! I quickly ran back outside to grab my wallet. With the favorable exchange rate, I paid a whopping 74 cents for both!
From there, I drove further into town and found a place to park so I could walk around. The precipitation moved quickly between rain and sleet, and even a little hail! Luckily I had brought my rain coat and I trudged on. Didn’t take long to find another thrift store!
I got down on my hands and knees and flipped through about half, it is hard to stay committed when I already know I’m walking away from this trip with a couple scores. The Phase 4 comp below tickled my fancy, but not enough to take home.
So I headed back into the cold and found myself a large tin of poutine before I headed back into the USA. This is my third province conquered and despite the rough treatment I received at the border, I had a great time!
