Owatonna Igloo: Families build giant, colorful houses in the front yard – WCCO
OWATONNA, Minn. (WCCO) – A family in southern Minnesota is embracing the cold with vigor and creativity.
Ashley and Ryan Thorson built a giant igloo in the front yard for their three boys.
Ashley says: “To keep the three boys busy and entertained, sometimes it takes a little getting creative.
For three nights, they froze the colored water in aluminum trays into hundreds of ice cubes. Then it took more than 12 hours over four days to build the igloo, binding the blocks of ice together with snow.
“You’re about two-thirds of the way there and you don’t want to do it anymore, but you’ve invested so much that you have to finish it,” Ryan said.
He said the roof was the hardest part. He and his wife had to work as a team to make sure it was maintained.
“We just had a wall falling down when we were about five rows away, but since then, because it’s nice and warm, it’s melted and now it’s actually pretty solid,” Ashley said. Ashley said.
Thorsons estimates more than 250 blocks of ice are holding the igloo upright. It is over six feet tall.
Ashley said: “Hopefully it brings smiles to others as well as our families.
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