Russell Yasinowski is 75, and has just began investigating a new winter hobby, making snow sculptures.
"There's another elder guy from town (Sozon Malinsky) doing sculptures all the time," he said, adding Malinsky had been urging him to start the hobby. "He was insistent somebody take over.
So Yasinowski said he took the plunge last winter.
"Last year we had a nine-foot rabbit," he said.
Yasinowski said the morning after he had finished the rabbit his mentor showed up to take a look. He said he told Malinsky "if it appeals to you I'll show it to someone else, otherwise I'll drive over it with a tractor."
Malinsky liked it, and so did others.
"People were coming from all over taking pictures of it," said Yasinowski. "Nobody had seen a nine-foot rabbit."
This year Yasinowski had a winter teahouse in mind.
So in December he began making blocks. He made a wooden box that he could fill with snow and tamp down to get all the air out of the snow.
The blocks are placed and 'welded' together, a process which Yasinowski said requires using 'virgin snow' and time to set and seal joints.
The actual construction "took every bit of six weeks."
The walls were built over a wooden frame which was on skids so it could be pulled out after the snow had set.
The completed snow house is eight-feet by 12, with 10-foot walls.
"So that's a pretty good size," said Yasinowski, adding there are more than 300 snow blocks in the walls.
The roof was to be blocks, but that didn't seem to be working, so Yasinowski said he weaved together some willow boughs as a roof frame, then blew snow on top.
While square in design Yasinowski said most see it as an igloo.
"They've never seen somebody build an igloo on a farm in Saskatchewan," he said.
Yasinowski said many neighbours, friends and onlookers have stopped in and had a cup of tea in the snow house since it was completed in January.
As for what comes next year Yasinowski, "I'll probably find something. I have some ideas "It's something to do. It keeps your mind working."
"You can't ask for anything better for fresh air," added Anne Yasinowski. " It's not something you have to do. It's something you want to do."
