Ben and Stripe... in 1987

Recently I posted about Ben and his new dog, Cody. Ben has always had a soft spot in his heart for animals (those he isn't hunting, that is)! I ran across this picture today, taken in 1987, when Ben was five years old. He is cuddling with our cat Stripe. We lived in Seaside at the time, and when we moved to the Willamette Valley in 1989, the new owners of our Seaside home volunteered to take loving care of Stripe, to avoid uprooting her. Ben was sad to leave her behind, although he understood that she would be much happier in her familiar surroundings. Miss you, Big Ben! Give Cody some love from his grandparents, OK?