Why we don't live in igloos...

We learned a few things about igloos this weekend at the Montshire Museum's annual Igloo Build.  First off, we'd make pretty pathetic eskimos... but really, it's not our fault.  The snow that accumulates on the arctic ground is a lot different than ours, apparently...it's harder and very porous, so it's very light.  You can cut a nice 2' x 3' block of it and lift it up over your head like its styrofoam.  We don't even have construction worthy snow in this part of the world, unless you construct the snow for construction yourself.  The Montshire staff made large areas of densely packed snow by stomping upon layer after later of snow with their snowshoes and waiting days for the layers to harden.  That was the only way we could use saws to cut bricks that would hold their form- and man, were they heavy!

Montshire staff telling us how it's done

One of the big prepared snow squares where we cut bricks from

Aiden sawing out a brick

So, the construction part... it's harder than you think.  Or, maybe... it's as hard as you think.  Anyway, it's not easy.  The igloo is not constructed by separate layers of blocks, but is actually one continuous spiral of blocks up to the very top.  This is tricky to pull off.  The tops of each laid brick needs to be beveled in such a way that the next layer tilts slightly inward, so that you finally reach a domed shape.  This is also tricky.  Someone needs to stay inside the igloo when you are getting to the last few layers, just to hold the bricks in place until it is capped.  Only when it's finished do you ponder where you should put the door (this is a serious structural decision) and so the person who helped you build from the inside is trapped inside the igloo until you get the whole door thing figured out.  Who knew?

Inside the igloo

Lots of families attempting igloos

Our igloo didn't quite reach the door stage... Haley protested the igloo build since there was little she could do besides stand around and get cold, so she and Andy went inside the museum for awhile.  Aiden and I did our best, with me cutting blocks and Aiden helping to place them and chinking in the seams from the inside. When we got near the top of the dome, I decided it was Andy's turn to come out and work with Aiden (leave him the hard part!)... and well, lets just say they got cold before it got finished too.  It was a cool learning experience though, and there were some families (overachievers) who did actually finish an igloo.