Family spends snowstorm inside an igloo they built outside their home
While most Islanders were hunkered down in their homes during Monday night’s blizzard, the Lewis family of Stratford was out in the middle of it – and loving every minute.
Stuart and Melinda Lewis and their children, Calista, 14, and Brenen, 11, built themselves an igloo and rode out the snowstorm inside for the entire night.
“It was a lot of fun,’’ Melinda Lewis said. “It was considerably quieter in the igloo than it would have been in the house. In the igloo, you can’t hear any wind.’’
It took the family 10 hours to build the snow structure. They borrowed an igloo-building kit from a friend and went to work.
The igloo measures 11 feet in diameter and is just under five feet in height.
“My son can stand up in it, but my daughter can’t. But we’re able to fit all four of us in it.’’
This isn’t the family’s first time in the great outdoors in the middle of a storm. They did it last winter, albeit in an igloo that was slightly smaller than this one.
Melinda has no doubt that some people may think they’re crazy but they love the snowy adventure. She said it’s nowhere nearly as cold in the igloo as people might think.
“And you would never know it’s blizzardy outside. It’s the quietest camping I’ve ever done. We have fun doing stuff like this.’’
In fact, they celebrated a birthday last year living in the great, white outdoors.
“We’ve done it before for my daughter’s 13th birthday. We’re quite an outdoorsy family.’’
The Lewises are in the business of camping. They own Rent To Camp, a company that rents out camping supplies.
They spent the night on thermarests, self-inflating matttresses which keep the warm air in and the cold air out.
“They insulate you from the ground.’’
The kids slept in their pyjamas, a sweater and a toque, while Melinda says she requires a bit more insulation: socks, long underwear, a longsleeve shirt and a sweater.
“As for my husband, he’s a furnace. He doesn’t need anything,’’ she laughed.
When the family isn’t living in the igloo, Melinda said the neighbourhood children play in it and it’s a hit with the community.