ME

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." `
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Betsy Seeton

I make my living as a private investigator. Check out my website: thepifactor.com for more specific information.

My great-grandfather was a gold miner and also the first mayor of Columbia, in southern Colorado. In 1887, Columbia became Telluride after the mail kept getting confused with Columbia, California.

My grandmother was born in Ouray, Colorado. She loved telling the story of when she rode over a 12,000 foot mountain pass on a horse drawn sleigh. She was a school teacher, a sharp shooter and could cast an awesome fly on the streams. I was blessed to have grown up with her.

My grandfather on my mother's side was a self made man. Growing up, he helped support his widowed mother and family, and went on to put himself through law school. He personally helped finance first home purchases for many people.

I started livehonestly.com in late 2007 after coming back from a 5 month solo journey backpacking through Asia. My travels took me through Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Bali. Of the many memorable experiences, helping to raise funds for orphanages in Kathmandu and organizing the delivery of school supplies to a rural village in Laos are among my favorite. For fun there was the Mt. Everest base camp trek and a week long motorcycle trip around NE Vietnam, ziplining to treehouses in Laos, scuba diving in Thailand and Mahout training.

Instead of allowing advertising on my website,I prefer endorsing organizations doing grand work around the planet. The two that top my list are:

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

Click to go to ACLU website. Please consider donating. Even a few dollars helps!

Back in 2007, I was writing about anti trafficking of animals and humans and trying to shed light on the darker ravines in life while inspiring needed change.

Throughout the last ten years, I've used this site as a place to also display my nature photography hoping to inspire more love of the outdoors, as well as to blog about all kinds of issues facing humans and non humans on our planet. I then launched a website just
for my photography here.

WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER

To purchase books click here

My great-grandfather was a professional photographer and my dad, a geologist by degree, was a hobby photographer. I loved assisting him in the dark room. As I slowly stirred the chemicals and plucked the photographic sheets from black tray to black tray, I never tired of watching the blank paper magically turn into images.

From L to R below my photos appeared in
National Geographic, and National Wildlife Federation online magazine.

ARTIST

An important part of my life is creatively expressed through my painting, welding, and photography. I'm drawn to avante-garde style in all my artistic endeavors. The great curator, Josine Ianco Starrels, once wrote, "Avante-garde artists, by definition, depart from what already exists and thereby change the way we perceive things." That concept appeals to me. Some of my work was on display in Colorado in Denver's art district.

www.gettingintouchwithnature.com is my other website showcasing my photography and art.

FOR ALL THE ANIMALS is my new website. We hire children to write, blog, research, investigate, film, draw, paint and photograph. These are paid positions.

Top left: Going under! Mahoot Elephant training in Thailand in 2007.

Botttom left: Typical reaction to (me) a nearly six-foot American woman traveling through Asia.

On the right: This was my Russian Minsk motorcycle that I toured around Vietnam on for six days. We covered 900km. Click on bike for my travelogue.

VIETNAM ON MOTORCYCLE

I have a little bit of a gypsy soul and thrive on the unknown. I often travel without an itinerary and love trying new things, experiencing diverse cultures, and learning about different lifestyles, religions and background.

Read why I call my site livehonestly...

"What an awesome experience! Elephants are such gorgeous, intelligent, emotional and truly exceptional creatures." Kaew was my 7-year old elephant in Lampang, Thailand at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center where I took a three day mahoot elephant training course. Read about mahoot training.

If you think it's wrong to ride elephants under any circumstance, check out my thoughts.

Boda - photo by Betsy Seeton

Monkey on my back - slide show video

Boda was a 10 month old Asian bear who was rescued after his mother was killed by poachers. He was playful like a big puppy. I met Boda and the macaque (grooming me above) , who was also rescued from poachers, at the trail head on the Gibbon Experience where I zip lined in Northern Laos in the Bokeo Reserve. We were looking for gibbons and stayed two nights in tree houses. I saw some civets - no gibbons - but it was beautiful with awesome zip lining.

CLICK TO GO TO MY PHOTOS

CLICK ON FLY ROD TO GO TO MY BLOG

My granddaughter took this of me fly fishing when she was 4. My father put a fly rod in my hand at the tender age of 3. For my 5th birthday, he gave me my very own pole.

Please become informed about how exotic
animals are exploited, and care enough
not to buy products made by slaves.

CHIPPY VILLAGE VIETNAM PHOTOGRAPHER NEPAL ABOLITIONIST WRITER

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(Click on CHIPPY and my photographic BLOG for great animal & bird pics plus the latest re mountain life.)