I found this week’s theme difficult. I wish I had something spectacular to show, like a purple sunset or purple fire trucks or purple food. But all I have is plain ol’ purple. It’s a pretty color. Just not very common, it seems.

How did your Photo Hunt go today?

Taken at the Utica Zoo, on the nature trail. These crosshatch kinds of gates are generally very sturdy, although judging by the rusty latch, I’d say it’s been there a while. Nice and rustic. And triangular.

How did you Photo Hunt go today?

These sculpted hands of marble were formed sometime in the mid-1800s, by a freed slave. They are the hands of famous abolitionist (and former Congressman and presidential candidate of the old Liberty Party) Gerrit Smith, intertwined with those of his beloved wife, Ann Carroll Fitzhugh. The freedman sculpted this as a labor of love for Gerrit Smith. The Smiths were fervent abolitionists, and Gerrit Smith was called the Stationmaster of the Underground Railroad. He gave money, much of his property, and a life of sacrifice, to runaway slaves and to the abolitionist movement in this country.

This sculpture was in the Smith’s house in Peterboro, NY, for years until a house fire destroyed their home. The sculpture was one of the things saved in the fire, and was brought to the home in 1936 of the Higinbothams of Oneida, NY, family friends of the Smiths. The Higinbotham home is now the Madison County Historical Society. We visited the place a few weeks ago, and I’ve been writing several posts about the wonderful treasures in the house. You can read more about it here.

Here’s a bit of trivia: The Smiths’ grandson, Gerrit Smith Miller, introduced the first herd of Holstein into America when he brought back cows from Prussia!

As a kid, I disliked yellow. As an adult, I like its sunny disposition and cheery brightness. More than anything, I love yellow for what it means to us historians in New York State: historical markers! While on the road, I am always seeking out these blue and yellow historical markers punctuated on open fields or next to old homes.

The state license plate design once looked like these historical markers with the blue body with yellow trim. Now, they are white with the Statue of Liberty on them. I much prefer the historical marker look, it depicts more of what New York is: loaded with history.

You can find more assorted historical markers at my Flickr site and the State’s official marker site, here.

Number 4. Perfect for us. I have four kids and we’re always doing zany things with 4. It was difficult to choose just one photo.

Here are the four Mecombers, in their usual “hammy” pose. A mom with a travel and photo blog couldn’t have asked for better kids. They just LOVE fooling around in front of the camera. It was taken when we visited the Erie Canal Village in Rome, NY. What a great place!

How did your Photo Hunters go today? Leave your link in the comment section.