Posted on 02/02/2014 8:39:41 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
FAIRBANKS — Here’s a Fairbanks family that came up with a fun way of taking advantage of the cold. Chena Hot Springs Road residents Ashley Leffler and her boyfriend, Jeremy Murill, began building a brightly colored igloo in early December.
“We said, ‘why not?’ It’s cold and dark and it’ll give us something to do to keep us from going crazy,” Leffler said.
They filled plastic bins with water and food coloring and set them on the porch to freeze. Once frozen, the blocks popped out like ice cubes, but a few of the bins bit the dust in the process.
“We had a few casualties,” Leffler said. “Some plastic bins didn’t hold up at minus 30.”
Leffler and Murill, along with Leffler’s 5-year-old son, Oden, used water mixed with snow to hold the blocks together and threw buckets of water on top to help thicken the igloo and fill in any holes.
They strung an extension cord connected to a halogen lamp from the house to make the igloo glow.
“The warm weather was bizarre, and we were a little concerned after all that work,” Leffler said. “But the rain actually almost made it more solid.”
Oden loves the igloo, and it will be part of his birthday celebration when he turns 6. “He tells everyone at school to come and see it,” Leffler said. “He has a birthday coming up, so we’re having a party at the igloo.”
Leffler got the idea after seeing photos posted on Facebook of an igloo made using square milk cartons. There’s still a few months left of cold and darkness, but she isn’t too worried about finding something else to fill the time.
“After the work, I think we’re relieved to have something to play in and have fun for a while,” she said. “We have another couple months before we have a tie-dyed yard here.”
That was nice of her boyfriend to drive over there every day, so that they could all three work on the project together.
I love everything Alaska. DVR every show etc. And have watched everything on NF.
Been there twice.
I miss living up there.
I missed it so much, I moved back.
Enjoying it.
Sweet story, but I'm sure glad I don't live there. What a depressing state.
;)
I have Moose, Grizzly and Grayling stories from the Chena banks. Whoops, almost forgot the 6 fish stringers and the flyrod.
I always wanted to go to Alaska and had a slim chance long ago but hubby decided on VT instead. He’s still there, I’m not. Someday, Lord willing, and I will drive via Canada.
Lucky! I wish I could move back!
Good, someone noticed, it sure leaped out at me.
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