After the taping, we helped the kids finish the scavenger hunt they started the afternoon before. The place is wonderfully decorated, but most of our pictures have my kids' faces (not sure about posting them here.)  One of my favorites is the room where the pictures of all the voice talents are and foley effects to play with.  On the one wall is a wardrobe...you open the doors and enter Narnia.  We did get a picture of that with my kids entering the doors. 

Here's a mosaic of Whit.  We made mosaics last year in school when we studied Ancient Rome.  Before when my kids' saw mosaics they sort of yawned.  Now they have deep appreciation for the artist.   

Here's one of the many fantastic murals.

Then we went to the soda shoppe for a Wodfamchocsod (World Famous Chocolate Soda…featured on some of the episodes) Delicious!

Then we went back to the visitor center and got another daily gift for visiting…"Adventures in Odyssey" tapes! We also looked at all the magazines they publish and got to take any freebies home that we wanted. The kids each picked one for their age level and have asked for subscriptions for them. That is the first they’ve been interested in something like that. DD’s is so girly, Brio, and has since started trying to fix her own hair because of one of the articles (another motor planning thing I’ve been trying to help her with.) I picked a Citizen Magazine, which had a recent writing contest that I had entered (I didn’t win; that is okay =).

Then we watched the movie on Dr. Dobson’s founding of Focus on the Family. We haven’t done that in 6 years and they have a new movie from the recent 25^th anniversary. We saw neat things in the gallery like part of the destroyed baseball cap Dr. Dobson had given the Columbia crew to take into space that exploded upon reentry to earth, over Texas. (Rick Husband was on that flight and his wife’s book, High Calling is wonderful. We listened to the audio tape when we took a vacation to Johnson Space Center in Houston a few years ago.) There were pictures of the crew and that definitely tugged at my heart.

Then we went on a tour of the facilities.

The man who had helped us in the sound booth was the tour guide. DH talked with him at great length about working there. We sat in the viewing area of the sound booth where Focus on the Family tapings occur. You know when Dr. Dobson will be there, because there will be a pitcher of water at his place…he wasn’t there that day. We were told about the publishing facility and there is only one author they do not publish…did any of us know? Hmmmm, I raised my hand and said, "Dr. Dobson." Yes, he publishes through another place and for a few of his books all of his royalties go to Focus on the Family. Also he rents his office space at Focus and pays for his own secretary. He is their longest volunteer. The tour guide told us about the magazines published there (which we had already seen in the other building, but were available to choose from in this building too.) He said whenever the new editions come out, you can see the staff hovering by Clubhouse, the one ds had selected. They are full of great jokes and the tour guide proceeded to tell a favorite…and it did stump us and was pretty good!

We also got to see the counseling center. Whenever someone writes, e-mails or calls for help, these are the people who aid the request. They have pcs with search engines where they type in the problem and find resources to help the individual. They also pray for the individual. Several years ago I had written them for help and I got a phone call encouraging me! The tougher problems are sent upstairs, where the more experienced counselors help. A corner is devoted to those who help children, and a life size placard of Eugene from "Adventures in Odyssey" designates that precious area. Then the staff has special prayer days where they are given these letters to pray over. The tour guide also told us about how the property is so large, they got their own zip code, and therefore, their own mail sorting and packaging facility which saves them tons of money when shipping. As a result, other nearby ministries, like the Navigators, get to be blessed to use the facilities too. Afterwards each of us on the tour were gifted…you guessed it…"Adventures in Oddysey" CDs.

We got our pictures at favorite spots. My favorite statue is of a mother sitting on the grass with an open book and her children around her looking at the pages. So the kids and I posed like that in front of the statue. I’m not much into statues, but that one is dear to my heart.

Hungrily, we went back to Whit’s End for lunch, a real value meal, good and cheaper than a fast food restaurant. We could have eaten in the employees’ cafeteria. Or we could have eaten in the visitor center where they have a lovely restful snack area and free hot drinks. But there is something about going to cheerful Whit’s End. Afterwards we shopped at the bookstore and purchased some great treasures for the new school year. And with our coupon, we chose a CD set when Dr. Dobson comes to Odyssey!

Then dh and the kids finished up the afternoon by sliding down the 3 story slide, A-bend-ne-go! The kids had already spent a great deal of time sliding down, but they just couldn’t resist another opportunity. DH decided to join them too.  The slide part you can see through the windows.  You enter a fantastically decorated 3rd floor to climb into a bag and put socks on your arms.  Then you go down and land in front of the soda shoppe.  The openings at each end are indoors.   See the picture of Eugene?  You have to be at least that tall to go on the slide.  If too short, there is a smaller slide area for the little ones around the corner.

Here is the view.  The slide is to the left.  Pikes Peak is in the distance.  

These pictures were taken in the morning.  But by afternoon rain had descended on the mountains and we couldn't even see Pikes Peak anymore...so we stayed and played.  Eventually the kids and dh were played out and ready to go to Garden of the Gods...