A pair of snow dinosaurs that recently popped up on Margrethe Drive in Kalispell is the culmination of a bucket, lots of packed snow and a few hours of work each day over three days.

California resident Vickie Brock has spent the month in Kalispell assisting her sister, Michelle Labere, who has lung cancer. The siblings are very close, and Brock came to Montana to help her sister keep her mind busy with other things.

The two spent the month doing arts and crafts together — making wind chimes, sewing a small jacket for her sister’s dog, and any other little project they could think of.

“She wanted me to build a snow dino, so I took advantage of Montana’s nature and came up with this,” Brock said.

Labere who has been a resident of Kalispell for more than 30 years loves the snow, and dinosaurs. While Brock was outside building the 6-foot-tall snow creation, Labere was at the window watching.

“She was totally amazed,” Brock said yesterday as she prepared to go back to California. “It just made her day, you know, and it didn’t cost anything.”