Journal 5 Shel Collum

Part 1: The first of the two profiles that I really want to hold on to is the story of Miles Mahan. It's easy to laugh along to the profile of Miles but when you actually look at the man he is, he is actually very admirable. He took a deserted area and created his version of an attraction. He didn't think about what other people would think of his creation and that gave him the power to really make something. Miles was a happy man. He didn't care about the money that was brought in or the amount of people to stop for a visit, but he appreciated the ones who did. He had a vision in his head and he stuck with it and made it come true.

The second profile which I want to hold on to is the story of the fox hunters, Hinkel Schillings and Shade Pate. I didn't choose these men because I enjoy fox hunting or anything like that, but the freedom that these men had. When we live in the society that we do today, it's good to get away from everything and relax and reflect. These men would sit around a fire from "sunset until dawn" listening to their hounds chase fox around. Schillings and Pate would listen to the dogs howl and bark and could recognize the dog. I believe the most powerful line in the profile, maybe the book, is when Pate said "Whenever you get out under the stars and a pack of hounds are running, you're relaxed, you are. You forget about all the worries and turmoils that's taking place, and, well, you just feel closer to god".

Part 2: My favorite photo in the book, and the one I think is most powerful, is the picture of Dixie Evans at the beginning of the profile. This is so interesting because she was 66 years old at the time the photo was taken and she is as proud, or maybe even more proud in her life as a burlesque dancer. The tone of the photo is proud and fierce. Then lighter parts of Dixie Evans shows what she is proud as a retired burlesque dance. She isn't afraid to show skin on her arms or chest, or high up on her legs. She still shows that she has the heart of the dancer she use to be.