These rank high among my joys of living:
Water rustling over boulders in mountain streams.
Reflections of distant shores upon placid rivers and lakes.
While viewing my Reflections collection, notice how water accentuates reflected images. Let these examples spur you to observe similarities and variances to bodies of water near you.
Words to live by: Photos are faint glimpses of your glory.
Poems wistful whispers of your truth.
(From a poem by Steve Madden called Reflections.)
SRE51H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Helene had stormed across the mountains from East Tennessee to North Carolina. After local rain ceased, I walked along Volunteer Landing to observe the murky Tennessee River, just downstream from the confluence of Holston and French Broad rivers.
Although closed to traffic, Gay Street Bridge was a welcome sight that somber September morning.
SRE44H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
I located an ideal Sunrise Spot among the trees beside the Tennessee River.
Another early morning master work gifted to me by Mother Nature!
SRE43V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
A late night view across the Tennessee River to its south bank, seen from Volunteer Landing in Knoxville TN.
SRE42H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This is one of several Reflections I captured the week I camped at Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville TN.
Byrd Creek and Byrd Lake served as mirrors to reflect the natural beauty in the sky and on the opposite shore.
CMSP is ideal for experiencing the peace that nature affords us.
SRE40H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This snippet of Knoxville skyline reflected on the Tennessee River prior to 7am one November day.
I walked along the river in Suttree Landing Park when I noticed this postcard image.
SRE36H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Pleasant weather, splendid scenery, and cordial conversation made for excellent walking at Seven Islands State Birding Park one late September morning.
SRE35H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This was my reward for arriving early to walk in Ijams Nature Center.
I added the image to InMyTreks.com and presented my Reflections collection to residents at a senior living center later in the day.
SRE34H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
I am blessed to experience this reflection in solitude each time I walk to the edge of Mead’s Quarry Lake in Knoxville TN.
Drawn by its serene beauty, I enjoy this scene many mornings each year.
SRE33H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
River Towne Condominiums occupy a prime site on the south shore of the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
This River Towne reflection was visible from Neyland Greenway and Neyland Drive, both named in honor of General Robert Neyland.
Neyland rose to the rank of Brigadier General during his Army career. When not serving his country, General Neyland coached University of Tennessee football teams to win 173 out of 216 games, complete six undefeated seasons, and earn four national championships.
SRE32V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
A recent sunrise reminded me of this image from June 2022.
On both occasions I walked the River Boardwalk Trail in Ijams Nature Center beside the Tennessee River.
SRE30H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
That’s weird! What caused concentric circles among the clouds in this image?
Here’s a hint: These trees are reflected in the Tennessee River near Forks of the River Wildlife Refuge.
Email me if you know the answer to this riddle. Or, if you want to know the answer.
SRE26V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Sunrise clouds and their reflection on the Tennessee River create a magnificent work of art.
I captured this fleeting scene near the convergence of Holston and French Broad Rivers in Knoxville Tennessee.
SRE25V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
I enjoyed this winter scene while walking a paved path in Adair Park in North Knoxville Tennessee.
SRE23H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Billowy, cotton-white clouds reflected on French Broad River on the first day of Winter.
I walked along Seven Islands Loop Trail at Tennessee’s first birding park when I captured this image.
SRE22H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
A solitary goose swims upon Mead’s Quarry Lake at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville Tennessee.
A manmade cliff, left behind when workmen ceased to quarry marble here, reflects on the lake’s surface and surrounds the graceful bird.
SRE01H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Across the Tennessee River in Knoxville are Regal Cinemas corporate headquarters (at left) and One Riverwalk Apartments, which supplanted Baptist Hospital.
I noticed this reflection while walking on the opposite bank of the river along Volunteer Landing.
SRE02H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
After a night of camping at Lotterdale Cove Campground near Greenback, Tennessee, I walked a few miles to better appreciate the Tellico Lake cove.
This reflection got my attention early that November morning.
SRE04H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This image features Norris Lake, which formed after a Tennessee Valley Authority dam of the Clinch River was completed in 1936.
I walked the Dark Hollow Trail at Big Ridge State Park near Maynardville, Tennessee when I snapped this photo.
SRE06H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I camped several Autumn nights and hiked each day at Panther Creek State Park near Morristown, Tennessee.
The fallen tree in this image points to hills beyond Cherokee Lake at one of my favorite parks.
SRE10H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
A “golden hour” image of Tellico Lake from my campsite at Lotterdale Cove Campground near Greenback TN.
Oh, the joys of camping!
SRE11H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
An ideal spot for solitude and reflection is Gilbert Gaul Trail at Fall Creek Falls State Park near Spencer, Tennessee. I captured this image while hiking the trail alone on my wedding anniversary.
For many reasons, Fall Creek Falls is Tennessee’s most popular state park.
SRE12H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Walking trails often beckon me to Seven Islands State Birding Park near Kodak, Tennessee.
One Sunday, I skipped church and visited Seven Islands where I caught a pair of fishermen in mid-morning fog on the French Broad River.
SRE13H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Carla and I observed shrubs covered with butterflies at this tranquil site near Robbinsville, North Carolina.
I cannot recall the side road we took to this heaven-on-earth setting. I hope to return there someday.
SRE14H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
I routinely walk along Volunteer Landing in Knoxville, Tennessee, to attend Vols and Lady Vols basketball games. At night, Henley Street Bridge is brilliantly lighted.
This was a good night. The Lady Vols won by 25 points.
SRE16V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
I enjoyed these Fall colors at Cove Lake State Park near Caryville, Tennessee. It is one of East Tennessee’s best for family outings.
Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, which traverses eleven Tennessee counties and two time zones, passes near Cove Lake.
SRE21V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I captured this image one drizzly December morning at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
This pond once served as a swimming hole for the Ijams family who lived there beginning in 1910. The nature park was established in 1968 and named in their honor.
SRE17V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
This impressive sky reflected on the Tennessee River as I walked at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 11 2020.
I wrote a poem that day called Hikers Do It! The last line:
“Be a hiker and do it for yourself!”
SRE18V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
A famous poem begins:
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.”
I took this photo at the entrance to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Western North Carolina. Later I realized trees are reflected in the display of Kilmer’s poem.