This handsome fella is Ben. It turns out that Ben is a cousin of Mason, the collie who played Lassie in the 2005 movie. Ben lives with Lyle, who was the first connection to Flemming‘s family history in the USA, that we met in Britton. Lyle came to meet us and spent the day giving us an overview of South Dakota and his family’s history, and the ties between them and the enigmatic Jensen forebear who left his home country, to be a part of the Scandinavian settlement that shaped so much of northern America.
Ben knows he could be a star. He’s a natural in front of the camera. He managed to worm his way perfectly into way too many of my shots.
He doesn’t do a bad job of worming his way into the cockles of one’s heart either.
Our thanks to Lyle for an amazing afternoon, and sharing your knowledge, history, and Ben with us.
charlene winfred 