Guest Photographer

 We had another day with the grands last week spending some time at The Falls, some geocaching, and visiting a museum. Grandson McBe was in charge of the camera and Miss W took to geocaching.

an evergreen geocache hide

geocaching at The Falls

I got to use my camera

the following photos were taken by McBe, as were the first two

not a lot of water rushing over the falls

I was telling him about framing a photograph. This is from one of the windows in the visitor's center tower at The Falls.

his framing choice at another window

another geocache find (I spotted this one!)

We then promised them a visit to a museum since none of the ones in Vermillion were open earlier in the week. We went to The Pettigrew Home and Museum and got a guided tour. The docent was very kind and patient with the photographer. (I switched some of the photos to black & white due to the indoor lighting and distorted colors.)

The kitchen stove similar to the one used by the maid in the home of South Dakota's first full term US Senator, Richard F. Pettigrew.

a rare Tiffany ceiling light

electric on the bottom, gas bulbs on the top

the ornate icebox refrigerator

jeweled window in the welcome to our home room

books and artifacts from Mr. Pettigrew's downtown law office

We learned Mr. Pettigrew traveled around the world for a year as a honeymoon with his second wife! He was an amateur archaeologist, collecting many cultural items from his travels. The Pettigrew home used to display his collection of birds, bugs, Native American artifacts, fossils, firearms, etc. Most of those items have been moved to another location and the home has been restored to look as it may have in 1911-1926 when the Pettigrews live in the house. 

The Queen Anne house was built in 1889 for Thomas B. McMartin and his wife. Mr. Pettigrew bought it for $12,000 in 1911. Tours of the home are free.