Every castle or fort needs a dragon.
At least, that's what Pat Brodeur figured.
The Midland man and his son Justin built a well-fortified, snow and ice castle outside their Midland home over the Christmas holidays.
"My husband built a similar fort last year to surprise our adult children when they came home for Family Day weekend," explained Pat's wife Mary.
"We enjoyed several bonfires over that weekend with our sons Justin and Cole and daughter Sarah and friends (pre-COVID-19 lockdown)."
Mary says neighbourhood kids were referring to the impressive-looking structure as "our castle."
So, after Pat and Justin finished this year's castle over the Christmas holidays, the family took advantage, occasionally leaving their regular home for their backyard palace.
"We enjoyed a beautiful bonfire New Year's Eve with our son and daughter," Mary said.
But from there, Pat decided to pick things up a notch in the new year, noting that "every castle needs a dragon" and set to work on creating the mythical creature.
"He worked on the dragon over the last three weeks," Mary said. "The inspiration is the love for the outdoors and giving people something to look at and smile.
"COVID has been a stressful time for many and Pat just wanted to give people something to smile about."
