Ali and I chillin.
It is called the Ice Box. The present....Byron really wanted an igloo form kit for Christmas. Since he is the Scout Master and he has wanted this for over a year he got it for Christmas. He even tried to design his own version of this kit out of wood. The Scouts tried to make an igloo with his form last year at winter camp and it didn't work out. Luckily they had a back up cabin to sleep in. So, the following photos are of our New Years Day celebration. We were lucky enough to get a few inches of snow, 4-6 probably. Carter and Byron headed out early Saturday morning and prepped the ground. The Igloo making fun began. By the time Tyler Ali and I got home from a baptism they had already gotten the ramp done and were heading around the first layer. You start with a block filled just a bit and ramping up in the direction you are going to head with the igloo. The second block is a little taller than the first and the third is nearly full sized. By the fourth block you have the full size form going and a foundation to make your igloo spiral up to the dome.
In the photo you can see the ramp better...of course the dog ran over it and smashed down the first little bit we had to patch it up a little. So, the igloo making team consisted of Byron, chief operator and igloo man extraordinaire. Carter, head snow gatherer and wheelbarrow delivery man. Tyler and Ali prince and princess snow walkers and mixers with feet. Myself, snow preper and form filler. Yes, my arms and shoulder/back are sore today. We used nearly all the snow in the front of the house to make this igloo.
In the photo above we have finished layer one and are well on our way through layer two. The camera ran out of batteries so we had to charge it between these photos trying to get enough juice in it to document this historic event. I kept taking photos because I was semi convinced it would collapse at every new layer we added. It got high and the inward lean on each layer increased significantly. It is a wonder that this thing worked. The kids are still in the yard at this point in full participation. We are probably an hour and a half into the project here.
We are rounding off level three, notice less children. Ali and Tyler bagged the project and went in to make themselves hot chocolate and warm up. Those of us working have shed a few layers and are sweating. Carter was a trooper and is still acting his role as chief snow collector....he filled many a wheelbarrow full of snow. He worked so hard he got the honors of cutting the door out so Byron could get out of the thing.
We are nearing the top here. Still wondering how on earth we will get the roof to stay on. It is not long after this photo that Byron ducks under the Igloo with the hope that I will be able to get the roof build without caving the whole Igloo in on him. By some miracle it worked. You use the flat form as a guard and built the roof on top while the person under is holding it. The moment of faith is when they pull off the form and hope the lid stays up. It worked though. We now have an official winter home.
Here is the beautifully cut door Carter put in for us.
This is the view of our front yard right now. We definitely are playing the role of the Scout Master's home. Who else would have an igloo in their front yard.
The last photo if all of us on our first time in the igloo. You can see the form is still holding up the roof. We removed it shortly after this picture and prayed it wouldn't cave in and land on our little family. It held strong and amazingly is still standing today.
