National Monuments

I realized as I started to upload my pictures
that the news today celebrated
President Bush signing the paperwork
to declare the northwest Hawaiian Islands
a National Monument.
This will protect an area of ocean and islands
that totals more than our National Parklands.
Very exciting.
During our week in Arizona,
we visited two National Monuments.
The first was one of our nation's first National Monuments,
which, if I remember correctly,
was signed into being
by Teddy Roosevelt himself.
Montezuma's Castle National Monument
is a simple exit off the route
from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon.
Definitely worth the stop.
Cliff dwellings...the original high rise apartments.
Nothing to do with Montezuma
other than a later historical misunderstanding.


The cliff face reminded me of Qumran,
where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, back in 1947 or so.
Birds nesting in cactus...
people nesting in cliff faces.
We make our homes where we will.