The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ingi Bjornson can honestly say he's the king of his castle. At least during the winter. The owner of the Neso Lake Adventures camp, a 25-km drive southeast of Flin Flon, has constructed an impressive snow fortress on the frozen lake in front of his home. 'With great joy,' Bjornson says when asked how he builds the sprawling, walled complex. But seriously. Bjornson relies on two sheets of plywood, packing snow tightly in between them and letting the white stuff harden for about 90 minutes. He then repeats this step to erect another section of the castle. Then another. Then another. Bjornson didn't keep track of how long it took him to finish the fortress, but it's something he and his family have done each winter for the past 15 years. It all started when his sons, Fraser and Forrest, were kids. After their first castle, the family decided to get even more creative the following winter. Same goes for the winter after that. 'It seemed to get a little bit more elaborate each year,' says Ingi, who can best be described as a character. Even after the boys left home _ Fraser to join the RCMP and Forrest to attend the University of Manitoba _ Ingi kept the tradition alive. His camp is quiet in the winter, but he and wife Cindy still enjoy some visitors. They particularly like showing the castle to kids. 'It's a magical world for them, as it is for adults if they take the time,' says Ingi. This year's castle includes tunnels leading to a couple of quinzees, or snow forts. There is also an archway through which Ingi drives his snowmobile, and each corner features steps leading up to a lookout. Ingi also keeps on site a cardboard box full of 'snow currency,' bars of snow that resemble gold bars. All that's missing now is the drawbridge, but that may come in time.
