Cool digs

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This article was published 26/01/2021 (1859 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They say a man’s home is his castle. Well, David Robinson’s castle is in front of his home and it’s got some serious curbside appeal.

This place is cool — super, sub-zero cool.

Robinson and his son, Stephen,  who, ironically, are in the business of water, constructed an ice castle at their North Kildonan residence, located on Algonquin Avenue.

The serene street near Bunn’s Creek has been experiencing more than its usual share of traffic in recent weeks as word of the frozen fortress spreads on social media.

“People are driving by all the time,” said Robinson, 56. “It’s on Facebook, North Kildonan: Your Neighbourhood, Your Priorities. The first time my wife (Corinne) posted on New Year’s, over 800 people liked it and some 60-something people commented. They’re asking, ‘Where can we see it?’ And we tell them how to get here. It’s constant, people driving by and slowing down.

“It’s been a lot of work but a lot of fun.”

Now, this isn’t some tiny shed with ice-damming issues, producing a few shimmering icicles. And it’s no hollowed-out pile of snow with a hole for a doorway, either.

The Robinson family’s polar palace is nearly three metres high and extends about 12 metres across the snow-covered lawn. It’s got impressive double doors, big windows and a curtain wall running along the top.

In truth, the entire structure is more of a wall than a closed-in citadel, although a towering blue spruce tree in behind creates a natural canopy, offering shelter from the elements. Not much, but some. Only Frosty the Snowman would dare hunker down for the night.

Evening viewing is definitely best. Robinson digs his festive lights.

“That’s when you gotta see it, when it’s all lit up,” he urged. 

About 150 five-gallon pails and plastic storage bins were filled with water, frozen, dumped and stacked. Snow from neighbouring yard was turned into slush, perfect for makeshift mortar. A chainsaw came in handy as Stephen carved out large numerals to recognize the year of construction — 2021 — and are now installed above the doors. 

“He put a lot of time and energy into it. It was nice to spend the time together,” said Stephen, 27, of his dad. “He put in all the prep work. I just helped with assembly, the heavy lifting. Those blocks are heavy.”

It comes as no surprise the unfrozen stuff is the family’s line of work. Robinson has owned Ultra-Pure Water dispensaries (machines at retail outlets across Canada) for more than 30 years.

“Everybody thought we were crazy back then. ‘No one’s gonna buy water.’ Now everybody’s buying water,” Robinson said, laughing.

They didn’t use much of the company inventory to build the castle, for those wondering.

“This is not our product, it’s tap water. We used a garden hose from inside the house,” said Robinson, who has three kids and three grandchildren.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as the impetus for the creation of the ice castle.

“My dad wanted a project for the family to work because we were all bored inside, watching too much TV. He originally thought of it as a family project, but then (the government) shut everything down and they couldn’t come over. So, it was just me and him,” said Stephen, the service manager for the family water business.

“We took it on over Christmas holidays. We were out here every day. We battled the weather. It was too warm for a while, but it worked out.”  

The unforeseen spinoff of the winter build, it seems, is helping bring a neighbourhood a little closer together during a trying time.

“When I’m working on it — on maintenance or adding something more — people honk their horn and want to chat. It’s pretty neat,” he said. “People are walking, saying hello. People have missed connecting with other people so much. We’re all figuring that out now.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell