photo of the month from randy kato click the image for a larger view Hi, As we here in the USA prepare to celebrate Independence Day, I thought I would select an "American" image for this month. So I went way back before our young country's birthday to a time of true indigenous independence. This is in Colorado, at Mesa Verde National Park. This area was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians over 10,000 years ago. The pueblos and cliff dwellings that Mesa Verde is famous for, came much later - but still well over a millennium before that July 4th. This is a pit house, a precursor to the pueblo. Everything took place in these; they were living, cooking, ceremonial, all-purpose dwellings. I have always liked this image, though not necessarily for the history of the place. It was something about the opening and the ladder inviting you to ascend out of the darkness into the light. Wow that sounds corny! But now that I've contextualized it as a home, I see the space itself as more inviting and the ladder serving as an entrance more so than an exit...and I like it even more. Enjoy, Randy Photo of the Month archive