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sandrafriend.bsky.social
Sandra Friend
@sandrafriend.bsky.social
920 followers 590 following 490 posts
Author. Science geek. History wonk. Nature nut. Space Hipster. Recovering guidebook writer now making things up. SandraFriend.com FloridaHikes.com TrailsandTravel.com ThoughtsAfoot.Substack.com
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sandrafriend.bsky.social
More of my 2025 reads. Shadow Ticket gets classically, hilariously Pynchon by ch 13; the Mediterranean titles, heartwarmers; Cheerfully, a dystopian Great Lakes quest of a bass player very worth the read.

📚 #booksky #bookreviews #fiction #2025reads
Book cover: Lesser Islands by Lorenza Pieri. A coastal Mediterranean village. Book cover: The Secrets of the Little Greek Taverna. A magical immersion into an unusual village and its inhabitants. Book cover: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger. A Lake Superior lakescape with a town aflame. Book cover: Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon. A 30s cityscape.
December 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Another entrant for #waterfallwednesday. Hubby dropped me off at the west end of Indian Mound Reserve; I hiked to the big mound and continued west along the gorge. He, and this, awaited me at the east end of the trail.

#indianmoundreserve #waterfalls #ohio #cedarville #hiking #takeahike
Waterfall with mill race cut to its right sporting a far more slender cascade.
December 10, 2025 at 6:12 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Fall author run #3: John Scalzi. Started the year with his newest and worked backwards; I've shared some previously but hubby, not a sci-fi enthusiast, is now a convert thanks to the snark. Next up: diving into the Old Man's War series by @scalzi.com

📚 #booksky #bookreview #scifi #funreads
Book cover: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, an often hilarious romp between parallel Earths Book cover: The Android's Dream by John Scalzi where electric blue sheep mean a lot to an alien culture and a quirky sort of diplomacy meets the challenge Book cover: Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi, where the self-determination of a alien species isn't something the mega-corporation strip-mining their home wants to see Book covers: When the Moon Hits Your Eye and Starter Villain by John Scalzi. My faves so far among his many books: the what-ifs will keep you rolling on the floor with laughter.
December 10, 2025 at 3:29 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Have to admit, stumbling across this puppy in a museum really freaked me out. Jeep-launched nukes? Yikes.
US Army Willys jeep with tactical nuclear launcher
December 9, 2025 at 2:04 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
A mesmerizing piece of kinetic sculpture at Wellfield Botanic Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana. This stop on our summer travels surprised with its sculptures threaded throughout the plantings.

#glassglobe #sculpture #fountain #garden #elkhart #indiana #soothing #videosky
December 9, 2025 at 12:22 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Accidentally found: a pirated book in a little free library. I've had #Buckeye on my TBR list. At home I discovered this "book" has no copyright page, no spine or back identifying publisher, and the interior is NOT the novel. I pity the reader who bought it. #booksky #pirates
#writersbeware 📚
Exterior of supposed copy of Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. No spine graphics. Back cover of supposed copy of Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. No graphics, blurb, publisher, nada. Note the author does not match the cover. Should be Patrick Ryan. No front matter, except a bogus copyright page that doesn't mention the author or publisher or ISBN. Goes right into this, which I quickly confirmed online is NOT the novel Buckeye. In fact, paging about ten pages in, it's dreck. Who the hell does this to a reader? Pirates! Into the recycle bin. I don't want anyone to think Patrick Ryan would write this crap.
December 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Fall author run #2: Mary Robinette Kowal. Started into her Lady Astronaut series earlier in the year - love the interweave of real-life astronauts - and decided to try another outside the series. A delight! Will seek out more next year.

📚 #booksky #bookreview #scifi #alternatehistory #womeninspace
Book cover: The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal. Four astronauts against a lunar background. Book cover: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal. A solo astronaut against a fiery background Book cover: The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal. An elegant couple and their dog on a starship cruise.
December 8, 2025 at 3:17 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
A moment for reflection among the ancient trees of Clear Springs Nature Preserve near Montague, Michigan.

#stunday #bigtrees #reflections #autumnleaves #michigan #naturephotos #photosky
A massive oak trunk on a steep shoreline with leaves turning color and autumn leaves floating on the surface of the water
December 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Where aviation began.

#blueskyartshow #sky #photography #photosky #aviationhistory #historicsites #wrightbrothers #kittyhawk #nationalpark
Person descending stairs from an upswept monument against a dramatic sky of white clouds against deep blue
December 6, 2025 at 5:36 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
There's a hole in our hearts today with the passing of our friend Bob Eggleston, who was as close to a brother as my husband John ever had as an only child. They'd met more than 50 years ago in Boy Scouts and we adventured together locally this past decade. RIP old friend.
#cancersucks #gonetoosoon
A woman and two men in holiday attire on a beach during an event A man paddleboarding in a lagoon Two men with bike helmets standing on a trail bridge A man crossing a plank boardwalk while wearing a hat and bright orange vest
December 5, 2025 at 6:36 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Another good, kind human, another friend.
Descended through the portal of no return.
Goodness doesn't equate to good health.

Don't put off that #colonoscopy
Don't break more hearts.
#takecareofyourself
#youmatter
#fuckcancer
Interior of an ancient adobe dwelling with a series of keyhole doors in half shadow
December 5, 2025 at 2:17 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
I love the idea of #waterfallwednesday, as it lets me dig into photos from our travels. This one pours off a rocky bluff into a ravine below the trail I'm standing on at Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Ohio.

#glenhelen #waterfalls #ohio #yellowsprings #hiking #takeahike
Author of the post, a lady in a Tilly hat, beside a waterfall splashing into the gaping mouth of a small cave on a bluff
December 3, 2025 at 8:34 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Fall author run #1: Louise Penny. Had the first two on my TBR shelf for years and enjoyed the balance between quirky Three Pines residents and self-doubting Chief Inspector Gamache I tracked down her latest releases. All engrossing reads.

📚 #booksky #bookreview #mysteries #cantputdown
Book cover: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. A person walking on thin ice. Book cover: The Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. A small cabin in a snowstorm. Book cover: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. A pair of gray wolves over a stylized forest of pines all in cool blues. Book cover: The Black Wolf by Louise Penny. A pair of black wolves over a stylized forest of pines all in glowing reds.
December 2, 2025 at 10:02 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
A sense of perspective on the sandy slopes of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore, its dune front dropping precipitously into Lake Michigan.

#stunday #nationalparks #lakemichigan #photography #photosky #sanddunes #michigan
November 30, 2025 at 6:30 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
More recent reads, all mysteries. Griffin: WWII physicist retrieval, bloody military mission; Penny: charming while deadly; St. John: Hollywood glam movie gone bad, didn't see plot twists coming; James: WWII espionage & Hollywood.

#recentreads 📚 #booksky #bookreviews #mysteries
Book cover: The Devil's Weapons, by WEB Griffin. V-2 rocket launch and a man in a WWII uniform Book cover: The Madness of Crowds, Louise Penny. Silhouette of a spruce against a Northern Lights stylizied sky Book cover: The Siren by Katherine St. John. Woman on a beach with waves. Book cover: Last Stop Union Station by Sara James, a woman wearing 1940s attire and a locomotive in a city station
November 30, 2025 at 12:59 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Remembering the random joys of fall at a Midwestern farm stand (Goshen, IN) before winter sweeps these colors off the scene.

#farmstand #fallcolors #autumn #pumpkins #thanksgiving
Mini pumpkins in orange and white Funky mini pumpkins more like gourds with bubbly nubby skins Ghostly white pumpkins Yellow mums
November 29, 2025 at 10:46 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
A reminder for this Shop Small weekend: grab an app, explore more of #Florida on your own two feet. floridahikes.com/florida-trai...

#shopsmall #smallbusiness #takeahike #hikingguides #exploremore #gooutside
November 28, 2025 at 8:41 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
This book. Wow. I'd avoided reading it because it was so overhyped. I didn't want to see the movie because movies so rarely provide the richness of the author's words. Well worth the read, and the hype was clearly deserved.

#booksky #bookreviews #readthis #literaryfiction 📚
Book cover of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A young girl's face, eyes obscured by a version of her in a boat in a Lowcountry marsh.
November 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
More recommended reads. Eco-fantasy in Impossible, WWII done well in London, great canvas for Hollywood shenanigans in Mercury, and absolutely everyone who loves flying must read Saint-Exupery's lyrical love letter to its origins.

#booksky 📚 #bookreviews #readmore
Book cover for: Matt Haig, The Life Impossible. An island with a boat sailing past. This is amazing. Unexpected. Magical realism that delights. Book cover for: The Light Over London. Two women with arms linked facing Parliament. Another stunning WWII novel that drew me in Book cover for: Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marta. Spotlights in LA. Fun romp through the crazy days of early Hollywood as historical fiction. Book cover for: Wind, Sand and Stars, Antoine De Saint-Exupery. A vintage aircraft in the dawning sky. An early pilot's tale of life with wings in such a compelling, lyrical style it brings on tears.
November 25, 2025 at 11:38 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Artist's perspective atop a high dune ridge, Rosy Mound Natural Area, Michigan.
#bluesky #bluemonday #mondayblues #naturesky #naturephotos #photosky #hiking
Cedar-topped dunes, blue sky, and the blue waters of Lake Michigan as seen from an observation deck at Rosy Mound Natural Area.
November 24, 2025 at 6:37 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay theme, which is #Mr&Mrs ... heard these two #eagles before we spotted them overhead on a hike north of Orlando in the Gemini Springs Addition, DeBary. #baldeagles #floridabirding
A pair of bald eagles atop a high tension power line pole along a greenway.
November 23, 2025 at 11:50 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay theme today is #shadesofgrey ... one tiny corner of rookery of wood storks at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida.

#woodstorks #nestingbirds #floridabirding 🪶#birdphotos
Five wood storks atop pond apple trees in a rookery, two on nests.
November 17, 2025 at 12:07 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
The Bear River rages through a canyon along the edge of downtown Petoskey, Michigan, with a delightful loop trail around it providing perspectives of its rapids as it tumbles to Lake Michigan.

#stunday #petoskey #nature #Michigan #naturephotos #photography #photosky
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Latest batch of lighthearted reads. Golden Hotel a goofy family drama at a shuttering Catskills hotel; the others series cozies with endearing twists.

#booksky #mystery #novels #cozy 📚
Book cover of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland Book cover of Bryant & May off the Rails by Christopher Fowler Book cover of I Only Read Murder by Ian & Will Ferguson Book cover of Mystery in the Title by Ian & Will Ferguson
November 14, 2025 at 2:39 AM
sandrafriend.bsky.social
Today's #birdoftheday is the #least found on your camera roll. I'll take that literally rather than scour hard drives. This Florida scrub-jay, a threatened species, was somewhere I never expected to find one: along a mangrove shoreline near Charlotte Harbor. #birding #photography #floridascrubjay
Florida scrub-jay pecking through fossil sea shells in front of a mangrove.
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM