Building a snowman on a blustery, snowy day is a relaxing hobby for some.
But for anyone walking past Lincoln Southeast sophomore Levi Chandler and his father, Doug, while they're working, they’d realize pretty quick it’s serious business.
“We don’t really plan ahead or draw or anything,†Levi Chandler said. “We go outside and argue about how to do it, and eventually we make something.â€
The result this time was a 12-foot sculpture of an old man relaxing in a living room chair, cane in hand. The Chandlers plan to go back out into the cold this weekend to add more detail to the sculpture before they consider it finished.
“There’s still so much more we want to do,†Levi Chandler said. “Right now we’re arguing whether or not we want to add a television or a dog to the sculpture.â€
Despite not always agreeing on the best way to approach building a sculpture, the design is far more advanced than packing a couple piles of snow together and calling it a day. This snowman, located in front of their home near 48th and Sumner streets, has “bones†made of two wooden planks inside the arms, and much of the rest of the body was made by packing snow into a trash can to form the basic shape.
The two then poured water over the sculpture to meld certain sections and give it a sparkling look.
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Levi Chandler, who hopes to study engineering after graduating high school, said the idea of having a cane in the sculpture added more than aesthetic appeal.
“The cane kinda supports it a little bit,†he said. “We made it with PVC pipe and packed the snow around it. That was my idea.â€
He said the idea for the lounging snowman has been in the works for three or four years now, and the conditions last weekend finally provided he and his dad exactly what they needed — heavy, wet snow, and a lot of it. The process took more than 18 hours, almost every moment filled with the two quarreling over the best methods to pursue. Either way, it’s a bonding experience.
“It’s good to work together and see a project go from start to finish,†Levi Chandler said.
And it didn’t take long for the sculpture to start attracting attention from neighbors and people driving past on 48th Street. Pictures have been shared frequently on social media, and the sculpture has garnered attention from several Facebook groups.
The two have been building snowmen together for several years, but have only recently begun tackling larger snow sculptures. Levi Chandler said he already has another project planned with his dad, but wants to keep it a secret.
“I haven’t told anyone about it yet, and I don’t know how we’re going to do it,†Chandler said. “But I’ve got a couple of ideas.â€