Snow fort

So had an awesome day today.  At a certain part of the day I felt it was time to get outside.  We’ve been having some awesome weather lately and why not take advantage of it.  Yesterday it was the walk down Frederica and possibly as far as the library (but the haircut cut that short – pun intended).

I took Dean and got him all weathered up and set him outside in the back yard.  I just let him do what he wanted, see what he played with.  At first nothing.  I went to get my ice chipper and clean up some of the ice mess out there.

As Dean was looking more and more bored I decided to give him a nudge as to what to do and helped him get to his car out there.  At first he wasn’t excited to get out there, but he climbed right in.

I noticed he looked a little stationary playing in the car and felt I needed to correct that.  So I decided to start digging around the car to give him some room to play with.  Not sure how it progressed from there, but I just started to clear more and more snow, at first to give him room to go around the patio table, and then to build the ‘fort’.

Now I didn’t intend it to be a fort at first, but as I was putting more and more snow on the banks it started to look like a makeshift wall, or semi-igloo.  So it just kept going from there.  I got the ice chipper and would ensure that i cut out snow in definite wall-like ways.  Then tried to put the snow up vertically around the banks.

Then it was to build a path to the patio table so Dean wouldn’t have to crunch over the snow, and when it starts to melt, fall in.

It’s nothing spectacular, just it was fun.  Had I really thought about it, I should have been doing this for a while yet.  This is definitely something I want to start and continue with.  I doubt I’ll get any more snow to really make anything of it this year.

I just remember making these intricate caves and paths in the back yard at home when I was a kid and it was the best fun.  I want to be able to do that with Dean.  I’ve seen some really neat blogs lately about how to make cool igloos using storage bins to make the igloo ‘bricks’. 

Now, for those who’re also doing this, or would like to, let me give you 2 tips – wear mitts, not because it’s cold, but I got some nasty blisters; don’t use a kid’s snow shovel, it’ll take FOREVER to clear even the smallest of areas.

Now I do feel bad that I’ve been neglecting posting photos on here.  I have posted some in the blog itself, but nothing in their own specific albums.  I’ll get to it.