When I mention that I have traveled to Vietnam, I am acutely aware of still-festering wounds endured by many. Although the “Vietnam War,” as we call it in America, ended before I was old enough to comprehend the intricacies of international politics, I grew up aware of the conflicting rhetoric and high emotion that surrounded…Read more Grappling with the American/Vietnam War Part 1 (of 2)
travel
Learning from a talented photographer
One of my great joys in joining the blogging community is connecting with talented artists all over the world. I enjoy following the blog of Otto von Munchow, a photographer and workshop teacher based out of Norway and Seattle. I learn a great deal from him, especially from his very generous offer to critique photos…Read more Learning from a talented photographer
Offering – Pondering the Lives of Mother Teresa Sisters
Kenya, 2001 (somewhere near Nairobi's second largest slum) Blinking in the transition from blazing equatorial sunlight to sacred shadows, we hesitate in the foyer. The sanctuary stretches before us, an ordination service for new Sisters already in progress. Rows of simple benches packed to capacity march along concrete floors. I spot an open space in…Read more Offering – Pondering the Lives of Mother Teresa Sisters
What I love about blogging
It’s like I am standing on one end of a simple footbridge, a path I’ve walked and loved for years; but I’m suddenly skittish and afraid to cross. That’s how I feel about writing and sharing my art and photography today. Two days ago, I received the humbling encouragement that my post was selected for…Read more What I love about blogging
A Secret Garden That Changed My Life (In Vietnam)
We explore a silky summer evening, airbrushed with cool mountain air and golden sinking light. Newly arrived in Steamboat Springs, we wander west. The river is gift enough, flowing like laughter between us. One of those rare series of moments when you feel so alive, so present to where you are, so thankful to love…Read more A Secret Garden That Changed My Life (In Vietnam)
Open Road
Opportunity curves gray beyond where eye can see, cleaves fields and hills, leaps into hazy purple clouds far far away. Red tractor shimmers in fading sun, what matters most blazes into sharp relief. Green stalks grow like dreams, with only an expanse of blue to touch. Spiral bales keep watch over those passing through. There are…Read more Open Road
I long to go…
tranquil night-drifts earth-sleep stirs trembling, probing, churning, melding massive emergence black iron forging onward rhythmic unconquerable cadence surging, surging into the unknown – midnight giant with haunting calls summons all restless wandering souls and I long to go I long to go and I long to go
Camera joyfully in-hand
When I traveled to Vietnam in 2009, the country's beauty simply stunned me. I shot multiple rolls of film with my trusty old SLR only to discover when I developed them that I'd had a setting off and my images were ruined. I played around with Photoshop and managed to salvage one of my favorite photos of a bike, at least in…Read more Camera joyfully in-hand
Where true joy can be found
I know a place where unhindered joy pulsates. But you won’t believe it when I first take you there. Perched on the edge of desolation, humble and inconspicuous, a gray cement block building crouches behind ramshackle shops. Barefoot children play on a pile of rubble, and rusty-corrugated-roof shacks lean on either side. Before we go…Read more Where true joy can be found
Orphans in Nepal
Nepal is world-renowned for towering majestic mountains, fertile terraced fields, and verdant valleys. Nepal is no less than the magical, enticing destination that Tourist Guidebooks claim. But Nepal also subsists amongst the ten poorest countries in the world. Until a decade ago, she was the world’s only Hindu Kingdom; now secularized, karma, fatalism, dharma, and the resulting caste system still…Read more Orphans in Nepal
Colleen Briggs Images & Writing 