Mall on the Mountain

I've returned home from a quick trip to my brother's in Ideeho. It had been a long time since I had gotten to see my nephews, their wives, and little ones, so off I flew.
Flying is one of my favorite things, preferably via Heli, but a fixed wing will do in a pinch. Airports, lines, strange seatmates, not so much.
After getting to spend an afternoon and dinner with the kids, we drove up the mountains to my brother's home. Getting in after dark is always kind of disorienting, and this time was no different.
I was given the run of the house & town the next day, as both brother & wife had to go down the mountain to their jobs. I took a few pictures, walked all around town, and chatted up the locals that I happened onto. When my brother got home he asked what the plan was for the next day. "Haven't made any," I said. He said he was going to the Mall on the Mountain, and I could go along if I wanted. Well I'm not big on shopping or malls but I said I would go just to spend the time in his company. He said he usually finds a little something to his liking when he goes, so the plan was made.
Early the next morning after a huge breakfast, my sister-in-law is one of those fantastic cooks, we jumped in the ol suburban and headed off. He drove up the mountain, past the high school, past the large forest service complex, and onto a nice road. There were a fair number of others going up the mountain as well. When we got to the Mall on the Mountain parking was an adventure. We finally found a good parking place and started our shopping. After scouting the goods for a bargain, I found a gem of a heavy duty fire pit complete with footrest and spark screen. The price was right, so we loaded it up and away we went.
On the way home we scouted for elk, checked out the progress on the reforestation of a recent burn, and told each other how much we wished we lived closer, and other things.
When we got back to the house, we proudly showed my bargain to my sis-in-law. Who promptly said that she would have the guys at work crate it up and she would ship it to my home. She didn't really seem overly impressed with my shopping skills. My brother said it was a gem and every time he built a fire in it he would be reminded of me. How sweet is that!