Just For Fun
Scroll down to view photos in this collection.
People who know me never say, “You’re the life of the party!”
Photos in this collection show my less serious side. After reviewing my Just For Fun collection, and future additions to it, judge for yourself how playful I really am.
Words to live by: All work and no play makes {your name here} a dull person.
SJF50V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
My late-Summer visit to Kentucky’s State Botanical Garden and Arboretum showed me many colorful plants, like this fading yet fascinating shrub.
I cannot wait to see the 100-acre public garden in springtime.
SJF49V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This is a pie safe, one of countless antiques owned by an East Tennessee collector.
My photos of her antiques collection is the sole collection for which I have received remuneration.
I endeavored to create worthy images while listening to her anecdotes about each precious piece, and I gained new friends in the process.
SJF47H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Why were these colorful but unripe Persimmons on the ground early July at High Ground Park in Knoxville TN?
Whatever the reason, they were plentiful.
SJF46H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This was my favorite among dozens of Dragonfly artworks I enjoyed at University of Tennessee Gardens in July 2024.
Chelsea Lloyd titled her mixed media artwork Dragon Flowerfly.
SBH45V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Do you recognize this trail blaze?
It guides hikers and backpackers along the Sheltowee Trace that spans 354 miles of the Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The trail name honors Daniel Boone who was called Sheltowee by Shawnee Indians. The name means Big Turtle.
SJF44V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This Owl Butterfly stood out among the hundreds that flitted about us at Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory on Michigan’s Mackinac Island.
SJF42V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Cornus Florida trees bloomed brightly in the Dogwood Ramble section of Knoxville’s Baxter Gardens in April.
SJF43V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
The Baxter Gardens statute of playful young lovers is called La Prima Volta (“the first time”).
SJF41H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
University of Tennessee rowing teams train hard along a stretch of the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
I traipsed along the riverbank when the rowing teams glided past.
Hiking was all play and no work for me.
SJF40V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Don’t ask me how she does it!
I can only tell you each of the umbrellas was unattached from all others before the ultra-talented woman somehow coerced them to remain aloft while she twirled them during halftime at a Lady Vols basketball game.
How does she do that?!
SJF38V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This mountain cabin, with two open doors, made me smile.
If you want to see it for yourself, drive (or walk) Cades Cove Loop Road in Smoky Mountains National Park and be sure to visit Carter Shields Cabin.
SJF37H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Just across Chapman Highway from my South Knoxville neighborhood is the historic Vestal community.
For the first time, I walked Mary Vestal Greenway, and I was delighted to see this splendid work of art near Vestal United Methodist Church.
I will return to Mary Vestal Greenway and South Knoxville Community Center often, especially during Winter months.
SJF36H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
I hiked the Peter Rabbit mountain bike trail at Cumberland Mountain State Park when I took this photo, well, just for fun!
This purple trail blaze is just plain pretty!
(I never thought I would use “pretty” to describe a trail blaze!)
SJF33V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
“What’s the church called?” I asked myself after taking this photo from Marble Pavilion in Lakeshore Park in Knoxville Tennessee.
I learned Marble Hall is not a church. It is a venue for weddings, corporate meetings and other West Knoxville gatherings.
SJF32V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
I saw this colorful exhibit while walking at a plaza within The Battery, beside Truist Park, in Atlanta GA.
It was the morning after Tom and I witnessed Ronald Acuna Jr. steal his 69th and 70th bases of the 2023 season.
By doing so, the Atlanta Braves MVP candidate became the first major league player ever to steal 70 bases and hit 40 home runs in a single season.
SJF31V Copyright 2023 Steven L Maden
Lunch for one was served at Mount Cammerer Lookout Tower in the Smoky Mountains.
I put my feet up and enjoyed brilliant sun and scenery while I rested and refueled. From the tower, ten downhill miles remained of my Mount Cammerer Loop hike.
SJF30V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Tom and I encountered an “army” on the “big island” in Tellico Lake.
The youthful army of campers allied with costumed Cherokees to battle the French opposition. It was a fun way for kids to spend a Summer week and learn French and Indian War history at Fort Loudon State Historic Park.
SJF29V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Camping is great fun!
This Checkers table and a pair of comfy rocking chairs welcome campers to Roan Mountain State Park campground in Upper East Tennessee.
I intend to camp there again this Summer. To hike and capture mountain views also.
SJF28V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
How do you like that?
If I explained how I created this image, it might spoil the effect for you.
I will say I was at Island Home Park on the south bank of the Tennessee River near downtown Knoxville.
SJF27V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
A Sweetgum leaf and side-by-side deck planks were dotted by sun filtering through an outdoor chair made of woven rattan strips.
How fun is that?!
SJF26V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Earthadelic renovated the Universal Pond at Ijams Nature Center early in 2023.
After renovations were complete, Craft Appalachia members installed fiber bomb art at the edge of Universal Pond. What fun!
SJF25V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Between wildflower hikes along two trails at Norris Dam near Rocky Top Tennessee, I stopped in to browse the fascinating collection at Lenoir Museum.
I was glad to capture this image and add it to my Just For Fun collection.
SJF24V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
I saw this footprint dozens of times along South Knoxville’s Will Skelton Greenway two days after Christmas.
I wondered about the walker attached to this shoe, and whether they enjoyed trekking in the snow as much as I did that day.
SJF23V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
I was “stung” by this and dozens more Bumble Bee artworks at UT Gardens during a June 2022 creative competition. What fun!
SJF22H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
This VW “bug” is surely the pride of a University of Tennessee student and her friends.
The SUP atop the bug tells me the owner enjoys paddling the Tennessee River that borders the UT campus.
Or, is that a surf board instead of a stand up paddle board? Maybe she plans a trip to the Atlantic or Pacific coast.
SJF01V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Footprints were all that remained of our white Christmas by December 26.
I tracked these prints in Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.
SJF02V Copyright 2019 Steven L Madden
A sign board advertising gluten free haircuts caught my attention when I walked midday in Downtown Knoxville.
SJF03V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
A basement corridor inside Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina asked to be photographed.
I appreciate the mood this image evokes for me. Thanks Tammy!
SJF04H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
I took a break during my 14-mile Appalachian Trail section hike between Stecoah Gap and Nantahala River in North Carolina.
It was 2:45pm, apparently nap time for these three snails.
SJF05H Copyright 2018 Steven L Madden
I joined Paul and other NJ friends to hike a seven-mile section of the Appalachian Trail between Nolichucky River and Indian Grave Gap in Upper East Tennessee.
I delighted to see this Power T truck parked alongside the road as we shuttled cars after our hike. Go Big Orange!
SJF06H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Julie was less enthralled than I with six gaudy tires displayed along Ellejoy Road in Walland, Tennessee.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” she said. Then she added, “Great hike today.”
I concur.
SJF07V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
This is a favorite among my photos of Henley Bridge that spans the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee.
I captured this image from Volunteer Landing after I attended a Lady Vols basketball game.
SJF08V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
An ominous dinosaur looms outside McClung Museum on the campus of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
The museum is steps away from UT’s College of Communications where I earned my B.S. degree decades ago.
SJF09V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Sometimes a guy needs a break from hiking and photography.
On this May day, I hammocked at home under my Dawn Redwood tree.
SJF10V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Reminiscent of Bilbo’s hobbit house, this was my view from inside a sandstone cave in Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area near Jamestown, Tennessee.
The canyon hike is spectacular. Even grander is the dazzling sky above the canyon on a clear night.
SJF11V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This is my idea of a self portrait. If only I had been that tall when I played basketball!
I captured this image while walking late afternoon in Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.
SJF12H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I walked toward Elijah Oliver Cabin from Cades Cove Loop Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park when this scene caught my eye.
A tree with good bones is stunning even without leaves.
SJF13V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This somber-looking fellow stands beside Discovery Trail at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
SJF14H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
It seemed odd, with Christmas decorations all around Woodlawn Cemetery, that harvest season colors and symbols decorated a singular headstone in January.
SJF15H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This poster was displayed at the corner of Gay Street and Vine Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee a few days prior to Halloween.
I wish I knew the artist to credit for this fierce yet fun artwork.
SJF16H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Teresa and Doug noticed a rainbow from the deck of their Tellico Lake house.
I was pleased that ski boats sped by as I aimed to capture the scene.
SJF17V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I found this scene at an amphitheater along Campground Connector Trail at Panther Creek State Park near Talbott, Tennessee.
Does Home Depot still want credit for building this now-dilapidated gate?
SJF18V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
An octet of bird houses hang from a metal “tree” in the Butterfly Garden at Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.
SJF19H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
These sunny flowers were painted on a shed adjacent to Adair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
I wish I knew the artist to credit for this welcoming display.
SJF20H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
This petite painted rock was out of place beside Bear Creek Trail at Cloudland Canyon State Park near Rising Fawn, Georgia.
DO NOT call the phone number using your personal phone.
SJF21H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Who knew there is a Zoo at Grandfather Mountain State Park in North Carolina?
I concluded one otter was giving the other a piece of her mind. “…And don’t you forget it!”