Silvana Clark

Hairy Family Visit

Silvana Clark — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:16:24 +0000

As Allan and I travel around the US in the Soles4Souls RV, we sometimes get lucky and have an event close to a family member. Last week we were in Oklahaoma and had our daughter Trina and her husband Paul meet us in Oklahoma City. We had a great visit and got to taste Trina’s award winning guacamole. She also brought her two large dogs. Just visualize being inside a small RV with four adults and two active, hairy

dogs!

Giant Avocados

Silvana Clark — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:26:16 +0000

While spending the night at Randy’s in San Diego, we picked several giant avocados from his tree.

Added Oklahoma!

Silvana Clark — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:57:35 +0000

We did it! We finally “filled in” state number 34! Most people with RV’s have an outline of a United States map on their unit. Then, as they actually enter a state, they add a colorful state sticker to fill in the map. Believe me, the competition is fierce at campgrounds as people walk around and check out the “competing” maps. It’s quite a status symbol to have your map almost or completely filled in. The Soles4Souls RV map is looking pretty good. 33 states were filled in. There was a gap in Oklahoma though. We visited all the surrounding states, but never made it to Oklahoma. That changed last week as our daughter Trina and our son-in-law Paul visited us in Oklahoma City. We had our usual “Fill in the Map” ceremony and let Trina have the honor of adding the Oklahoma sticker. Of course we all sang the “OHHHHHHKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain” song. Now we are trying to figure out how to get the Soles4Souls RV to Hawaii so we can fill in that state. Any ideas?

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Silvana Clark — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:09:16 +0000

The last few days have been hotter than normal. I guess it is hot when the toothpaste inside the RV melts and the glue on my magazine melts away. Sondra is with us for a few more days before she heads off for a semester in Oxford. We’re keeping her happy by taking her to In and Out Burgers and buying warm clothes for London. Shop

ping for a down vest is unappealing when the temperature is 118 degrees.

3,500 Creative Kids

Silvana Clark — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:10:45 +0000

The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington’s Thingamajig Invention Convention gives nearly 3,500 local children the opportunity to create eco-friendly inventions and compete with other young inventors for fun prizes and awards. Thingamajig encourages children to explore the fields of science, engineering and design. Kids use only recycled materials to create their inventions and learn about the importance of protecting the environment.

Out of those 3,500 children, Soles4Souls was able to give 500 low-income children new shoes. Our daughter Sondra headed up the shoe distribution from 9-3 pm and made sure all the kids got shoes that fit them perfectly. She also helped the volunteers feel comfortable helping the children get their shoes. Most of the volunteers were engineers and weren’t use to the noise and activity of 3,500 kids running around!

My New Hobby: Spying On Scuba Divers

Silvana Clark — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:52:45 +0000

Disregard the crocodiles in the water

“Super Cool!” can’t begin to describe what Allan and I experienced this morning at the Homestead Crater about 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. Picture this: you see a large mound of what looks like dirt and rocks. It’s actually a 55 foot calcite dome that most people would walk by without noticing anything special. Ah ha! That’s where the coolness factor takes over. A 110 foot tunnel lets people have access to the hot springs inside the crater. Yes, you go inside a semi-dark crater to swim in a geothermal hot spring that is around 90 degrees year round.
Because the water is 65 feet deep, many people come to scuba dive. We played it safe by snorkeling. As Allan and I swam, I thought we were the only people in the water. Then as I put my face in the water, I saw several scuba divers below me. Waaaaay below me. Their movements were so smooth as they glided beneath me. The air from their scuba tanks floated up to me like thousands of tiny jelly fish. Floating on my back, I could see the cathedral-like opening above me. The hole at the top of the dome lets in sunlight and fresh air while the interior stays heated by the mineral water. Below the surface divers can descend 55 feet into the hour glass shaped depths.
Anyone that’s even remotely close to Midway, Utah needs to head over to the crater and simply soak in the hot water, snorkel or scuba dive. The experience is way beyond anything offered at your local community pool. (Not that there’s anything wrong with community pools!) www.homesteadresort.com

One Giant Bubble Bath

Silvana Clark — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:27:57 +0000

For most people, washing their car is a minor event in the course of life. When you are on the road with a big motor home, finding a car wash that is high enough for us to enter is a major event. That’s why I screamed with joy when we passed a sign reading, “Car and RV Wash”. $15.00 worth of quarters later, the Soles4Souls RV sparkled as miles of grime washed down the super-sized drain.
After all, the RV is going to be on display all next week at the Outdoor Retailers Trade Show in Salt Lake City.

Major Craft Project

Silvana Clark — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:09:16 +0000

We'd be crazy to attempt this craft project!!

Wayne Elsey, founder of Soles4Souls, has a collection of license plates in his garage. As Allan and I travel, we occasionally buy a plate to add to his garage décor. In an effort to make a gift for Wayne, we want to show everyone our latest project involving license plates. We got a plain extra large boot and covered the entire surface with cut up pieces of license plates. Boy, is it hard to cut all that metal and attach it to a boot!

An RV With Three Views

Silvana Clark — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:57:31 +0000

Sometimes, as we tour the country for Soles4Souls, we stay in heavily wooded state parks. Last night we had views not typically described in campground journals. On one side, we saw two towers from a nuclear power plant. The other side of the RV had a great view of a casino. To complete the panorama of views, we enjoyed a sewage treatment plant. Try to top that!

Ever RV Tries to be Unique

Silvana Clark — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:51:04 +0000

It’s no secret the Sole4Souls RV isn’t your normal beige or white RV. No, we’re going for the NASCAR logo look. Here are two other RV’s that have their own distinctive style.