Hear the word travel, and images of vacation destinations, cruises, flights, and long drives in the car pop into most heads.  Although, being business owners we find it very difficult to get away for lengthy vacations, we do travel as a family.  We take long weekends, occasional days off and... oh my... we love our field trips!!  So, I've decided to share a couple of our favorites....

Sally Industries - This company makes robotic characters and figures for use in theme parks, museums, motion pictures, and retail stores worldwide.  We had such a wonderful tour - right down to looking over the shoulder of a graphic artist as she worked on a project - that we're talking about going back soon.  Sally does the animatronics for what are called 'dark rides'...specializing in the interactive type, so we got to play games with lazer guns, as well as get a behind the scenes view of how the rides are set up.  At one point, as we walked through a warehouse room where there were several artists at work on different projects, a gigantic wooden crate began to rattle and shake.  Before we knew it, a gigantic head began to emerge from the top...roaring and gnashing it's huge teeth!!

Another favorite field trip destination is actually very close by.  We visit there several times a year!!  We're blessed to live near a large state university where the Museum of Science and History is an ever-growing work of art.  From the typical bones and models of prehistoric animals....

(these mastadon bones were found not far from here in a riverbed)

... and a butterfly rainforest...

...to a realistic, interactive cave...

...complete with stalactites, stalagmites, dripping water, life-like animal models and a 'spelunker,' who happens to be lodged in a tight area to where all you see are his feet...poor thing!  There are always traveling exhibits to check out also.

So many places to go, so many things to see, yet we've found that it's not about where you go or how far, but what you experience and share while there, and what you have to bring back home with you in your memories and your heart.

"-- we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."
-Hilaire Belloc

I look forward to reading about the travels of all my other classmates in blogger school!  :-)

"Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm."

--Proverbs 4:26