Sandra Friend
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sandrafriend.com
Sandra Friend
@sandrafriend.com
1.1K followers 730 following 690 posts
Author. Science geek. History wonk. Nature nut. Space Hipster. Recovering guidebook writer now making things up. SandraFriend.com
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sandrafriend.com
Meanwhile, if not for you choosing Bluesky and @scalzi.com amplifying, this would not be on deck to crack open later today.
January 29, 2026 at 4:45 PM
sandrafriend.com
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #EyeContact and I'm an early bird. Green heron at Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, Florida.

#naturephotos #phoography #floridabirds #nature #birding #eastcoastkin #photosky #birdsofbluesky
January 29, 2026 at 10:40 AM
sandrafriend.com
These are hilarious. Thank you. So was this very, very clever and poignant book that had me quoting your brilliant turns of phrase to my befuddled husband. I can't say how often I laughed out loud. I plan to share a proper review on my website once I have a quiet moment and my wits about me.
Cliffs above a small house on the cover of Everything Will Swallow You
January 29, 2026 at 9:36 AM
sandrafriend.com
Waters pour over a series of rocky escarpments at Gooseberry Falls along Hwy 61 on the North Shore of Lake Superior, another reason #minnesotarocks

#waterfallwednesday #photography #naturephotos #waterfalls #minnesota #photosky #nature #northshoresuperior
Two sets of cascades make up one broad waterfall over a rocky bluff
January 29, 2026 at 12:48 AM
sandrafriend.com
A little late to the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Iridescent but I did dig around in my drives and find this glossy ibis.

#birding #floridabirds #ibis #naturephotos #photography #eastcoastkin
Glossy ibis shining iridescently in a spot of sunshine while poking through the grass of a marsh
January 29, 2026 at 12:32 AM
sandrafriend.com
Marsh muck, oysters, and the height of January's high tide revealed on the mangroves in the salt marshes of Matanzas Inlet in St. Augustine, Florida.

#tidesouttuesday #photography #nature #photosky #eastcoastkin #naturephotos #mangroves #saintaugustine
January 27, 2026 at 11:30 AM
sandrafriend.com
A few moments from Michigan cities for #blueskymonday

#photosky #photography #urbanphotos #michigan #midwest #blueskies #travelphotos
Blue waves and sky on the waterfront in Holland, Michigan Blue skies through the windows behind a mastodon skeleton in the Grand Rapids Public Museum A clear divide between the Frank Lloyd Wright windows of the Meyer-May House in Grand Rapids and a clear blue sky above Blue sky as a backdrop to a church and a fancy street lamp with a basket full of purple flowers in downtown Gaylord, Michigan
January 27, 2026 at 12:12 AM
sandrafriend.com
Carnivorous beauties brighten this #stunday thanks to the bog garden at Wellfield Botanic Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana. Pitcher plants and more!

#photography #photosky #plants
#carnivorousplants #pitcherplants #bog #garden #naturephotos #nature @elkhartcountyin.bsky.social
Pitcher plants and sundews growing in a small big garden and glowing in late day light
January 26, 2026 at 12:32 AM
sandrafriend.com
Being an outdoorsy sort, green is right up my alley. Er, trail.

#coloraday #greensat #photography #naturephotos #photosky #nature #green #woods #ferns #relax
Sunlight filters through green leaves atop a dune ridge in Holland, Michigan at Sanctuary Woods. Greenish hues surround a natural spring at Magnolia Springs north of Metter, GA Among fern-decorated rock pillars in a green forest at Glen Helen, Yellow Springs, OH Ferns in a floodplain forest along Little Lake Harris in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida
January 25, 2026 at 12:08 AM
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It's a wild ride so far!
Book cover of Everything Will Swallow You by Tom Cox, with a small house in a folded landscape of seaside cliffs
January 24, 2026 at 1:41 PM
sandrafriend.com
I'm highly allergic to cats, sadly, so you'll rarely see a #caturday from me. However, I did get up close to this Jacksonville Zoo jaguar on a bitter cold day last week. Closest I've ever seen one.
@cityofjax.bsky.social

#photography #jacksonville #jaguars #naturephotos #eastcoastkin
January 24, 2026 at 10:35 AM
sandrafriend.com
Yum. Flavors of farm fresh St. Augustine made my vegan palette happy last week at The Feed Mill.

#januarty2026 #foodonfriday #farmtotable #vegan #alphagalfriendly #staugustine
Fresh beets, tomatoes, and cauliflower A fresh made veggie pizza with pesto Roasted root veggies and a chunk of mushroom A vegan lemon coconut cream with strawberry sauce served in a scooped out half lemon
January 24, 2026 at 3:41 AM
sandrafriend.com
Because hell yes, Minnesota rocks.

The Cascade River does exactly what it says as it drops to Lake Superior through Cascade River State Park.

#waterfallwednesday #photography #nature #photosky #minnesota #geology #rocks
A river drops between boulders in a gurgling, rushing torrent of cascades within a lush northern arboreal forest along the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota.
January 22, 2026 at 12:55 AM
sandrafriend.com
A late entrant for #thicktrunktuesday: one of Florida's largest live oaks, well hidden within an old motor court complex in St. Augustine but not missed by the tourist trains and trolley trams.

#bigtrees #liveoak #theoldsenator #historiccoast
Plaque that says The Old Senator in front of a thick trunked live oak surrounded by a low fence.
January 21, 2026 at 2:32 AM
sandrafriend.com
A bright bloom to bring a speck of cheer to a day of existential drear. Hibiscus, happy to be itself.

#photography #red #flower #hibscus #naturecalling #photosky
Brilliant red hibiscus in a garden
January 21, 2026 at 1:12 AM
sandrafriend.com
From Star Struck. I have no troll (noun) in any of my WIPs so I'm going with a vibe with mock, which does come up a handful of times.
“Was that necessary?” Bea boomed. She dropped her robe and dug her toes into the sand. As expected, the Greek’s smug gaze settled below her neckline. “I’m not just a pretty face, Miss Miller.” Gil stepped onto the beach, inches from the hissing alligator. “It’s my job to keep these ladies—and you—safe.” Bea glanced at Ermaline, who nodded. Damn it, Chester! Bea stared Gil down. “And your definition of safe, Mr. Galani?” Gil’s assistant handed him a spear gun. One foot on the alligator, the frogman assumed a big game hunter stance. “Keeping this river shark and alligator free, Miss Miller, so you ladies can perform in peace.” Gil mock-curtsied to Bea. Her mermaids applauded
January 20, 2026 at 11:12 AM
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Feeling blue.
#blueskymonday #photography #vibes #noticingart
Close-up of blue glass vase A tiled wall in shades of blue A classic Tiffany window largely in blue glass The Bluebird of Happiness on a fishing pier. Roadside art from the 1950s.
January 19, 2026 at 11:26 AM
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#stunday sunrise along the Atlantic Ocean on a chilly morning in Vilano Beach.

#sunrise #oceanfront #beach #saintaugustine
A lone silhouette of a person walking along waves glowing from ribbons of pinkish orange sunrise in the clouds
January 18, 2026 at 11:49 PM
sandrafriend.com
Joining today's #BlueSkyArtShow
The theme is #One

Art with a focus on the singular.
While in #StAugustine this week I focused on hidden, historic art. These were created by Gilded Age artisans for the Ponce De Leon Hotel, now @flaglercollege.bsky.social

#art #artists #supportartists #photgraphy
Original carved cherub on the back of a wooden chair in the dining hall One of the dozen frogs around the main fountain in the front courtyard. Together with the fount itself, they serve as a sundial. A golden cherub in the Ladies' Lounge A single black scallop is the focal point of a mosaic of hand cut tiles on a portion of an exterior wall
January 17, 2026 at 5:41 PM
sandrafriend.com
For #BirdoftheDay, today's theme is raptor and alternative #Anatidae (geese, swans and ducks). I don't visit zoos often but this Australian blue-billed duck at the Jacksonville Zoo proved a compelling composition on a very dreary day.

#ducks #bluebilledduck #jacksonville #florida
Duck with a brown body, black stripe on head, and blue bill, floating on a pond reflecting gray skies, as seen from above
January 15, 2026 at 11:13 AM
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Two #longbeak birds I spotted today while walking along coastal marshes at low tide, great candidates for #birdoftheday
Little blue heron among oysters in marsh mud White ibis poking its long beak into marsh mud surrounding oyster bars
January 15, 2026 at 2:22 AM
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Visual delight, technical disaster: an early Edison electric clock that couldn't be repaired when it failed because it was set into an immovable block of onyx. I feel an essay coming on about time and technology. Simmering now.

#clock #artistry #technology #thomasedison #staugustine #flaglercollege
January 14, 2026 at 1:13 PM
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Target acquired
Trajectory plotted
Computer chirps: "unmissable!"
And yet
The flutter of wings
A variable uncompensated
Deflects the danger
Downs the aggressor
"Success!" the crows crow

#unmissable #vss365 #poetry
Two crows with heads up in the air, making a fuss
January 10, 2026 at 9:45 AM
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The writer surfaces
From intense communion with the page
To staccato phrases
Parsed between sips of coffee
Macchiato, cappucino, Americano
Enlighten the customers
Waiting on #delivery of caffeine
Theirs is nigh

#vss365 #poetry
A cup of cappuccino in a coffeeshop
January 10, 2026 at 12:14 AM
sandrafriend.com
The blessing of being flora
No need to preen nor strut
Like the birds in the marsh
Simply reach for the sun
As blossoms adorn your crown

#vss365 #adorn #poetry
Spiky pink blossoms topping a shrubby plant stretching towards the sky on the edge of a marsh basin
January 9, 2026 at 12:45 AM