A winter love shack: Victoria man builds igloo for new girlfriend
Paul Lewis came up with the romantic gesture on a snowy Monday night
It's still one day away, but Paul Lewis has already 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.
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.'"
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.
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.