Yes, my mother-in-law lives in a resort town. It is good, bad, and everything in between. And like everywhere else, it has a lighter side.

One of my regular pilgrimages is to a thrift store called the Gold Mine. It supports the local Ketchum library, and as you might expect from a thrift store in a resort town, you get some great deals.

The mens clothing is a bit disorganized and, like most thrift stores, is a bit heavy on the short, wide and old side. Sometimes there are great overcoats or jackets, but mostly what you find are Lands End castoffs from the 90s.

However, the sports room is what rocks. You can find almost anything here, including boots, skis, boards, skates, poles and toboggans. And if you’re in the market for goggles, it has what you’re looking for:

Kids clothing is a bargain as well. We get regular shipments of great outfits for Evie from Grandma Hill and we never have to worry about buying snow gear, as every visit brings a new crop of boots and snow pants just her size. This trip, I scored an almost brand-new pair of goggles for her, mostly because our first sledding experience ended in tears when she found out what snow-on-the-face feels like at 20 mph.

While you might occasionally feel trapped in luxury boutique land, they do have things that are free, cool, and touchable, like an ice sculpture arm chair.

Can’t say it was all that comfortable, but it was something I can’t do in Nashville.

My in-laws have what might be called a mini-ranch. In the summer there are horses, but in the winter all that is left is their two dogs and one cat. The three of them manage to amuse us with both their energy and their playfulness. The dogs love to go on hikes outside, even in the cold weather. Doesn’t Solo look happy?

And Butter the cat is continually finding things to amuse herself with, including carelessly left behind drinks.

Boxes are her catnip as well!

But perhaps the best part of the Wood River Valley is the incredible scenery. I’m sure you get used to it after a while, but there is nothing like seeing this out your window on the way to fill up with gas.

Now if they only had direct flights from Nashville so that we didn’t have to spend 12-14 hours and driving through a foot of snow to get there!