A big chill: Victoria man builds igloo for his girlfriend
Paul Lewis, 47, and Julie Gervais, 49, were perfectly toasty in the homemade igloo they built in Lewis's Victoria backyard. (Paul Lewis/Facebook)
Paul Lewis has won Valentine's Day.
On Monday night, the 47-year-old used the fresh dump of snow that fell in his Victoria backyard and turned it into an igloo for his girlfriend of two weeks.
RELATED VIDEO: AN IGLOO WITH A VIEW
He fashioned his snow shack with solar-powered lights, a fire pit, some wine and a cozy bed.
"Everybody thinks it's just brilliant," Lewis said. "I've heard some guys say, 'way to make us look bad, bud. You've totally set a whole new bar.'"
The couple have added some cozy additions to their igloo, including tiki torches and a rug. (Paul Lewis/Facebook)
Lewis, who's a scaffolder by trade, built the igloo in about four hours, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
His girlfriend, Julie Gervais, watched incredulously at first while sipping her wine. But she soon pitched in as the structure started taking shape, Lewis said.
The end result? A cozy nook, nearly 1.5-metre wide and more than a metre tall inside.
The couple squeezed in four hours of sleep their first night, using their blankets, the nearby fire and their body heat to keep warm.
On night two, they renovated the dome, adding a rug, wine rack and glass holders.
Lewis, who's also a driftwood sculptor, carved out some candle holders. (Paul Lewis/Facebook)
The romantic gesture won't last long. The weather is expected to creep above the freezing mark Thursday.
"We'll keep it as long as we can," Lewis said. "The last one I made, it came down on top of me. That hurt," he laughed.
This article was written for the CBC by Alex Migdal. With a minor update to the lede by The Weather Network to remove dated information.
