Life in the Southeast: July 2022

Thursday, July 28, sister and I took a 30 minute drive to Winston-Salem to pick berries at Reich's Blueberries, on the last week open for the season.

I found out about this small operation after looking up local farms in my area at which to pick blueberries. I chose this one because it wasn't as "commercial, and touristy" as others.

Reich's Blueberries is privately owned, located on the grounds of the family home. They offer a U-pick operation with price at $12 a gallon; picking buckets are provided.

In this post, I will be adding all of the blueberry recipes as we make them.

Oatmeal with blueberries, flax seed, and maple syrup

Blueberries on ice cream

Blueberry, basil, and pecan waffles

Berries for breakfast

Ramekin mini blueberry pie

Homemade, no churn blueberry ice cream

Baked, blueberry cheesecake

Baked, blueberry oatmeal

Blueberry Pie from Taste of Southern by Steve Gordon Recipe

Saturday, July 9 -

I wanted to visit Ninety Six National Historic Site, as I had not had the opportunity to go to a National Park in a while, and this was a new one for me. We left home around 9:30 a.m. and arrived about 1:00 p.m.

The visitor center

My new stamp!

An additional stamp available.

The Southeast Region in my book was almost full of these addictive purple stamps, so I bought a pack of refills at the visitor center.

After looking around the small display room, we watched the 20 minute film of the battle, narrated by Trace Adkins, that is available on request.

A selfie station

"One plausible explanation is that English traders who passed through here in the 1700s estimated this location to be 96 miles from the Cherokee village of Keowee to the northwest, near present-day Clemson."

There is a paved walking trail that is a mile long, and took about 40-45 minutes to complete.

These silhouette cutouts were scattered along the way.

Island Ford Road

Lt Colonel John Harris Cruger (a NY Loyalist commander) bolstered Ninety Six by adding stockades, digging ditches around buildings, and building the Star Fort. (brochure information)

View of the area from an observation deck. The earthworks of the fort are beyond the rifle tower.

Patriots built a 30 foot log rifle tower. This 10-foot tower is a reconstruction. (brochure information)

The earthen remains of the fort.

The red markers indicate the location of the communication trench, a covered 4- to 5-foot deep ditch that connected the Star Fort, village, and Stockade Fort. (brochure information)

A partial reconstruction of the Stockade Fort as it appeared in 1781. An elevated firing step, called a banquette, was located at the base of the palisade wall. (brochure information)

This view through the vertical wooden posts is the one the Loyalist soldiers had as they stood guard over the town of Ninety Six.


In memory of James Birmingham, a volunteer killed at this site, was the first South Carolinian to give his life in the cause of freedom.

We spent the night with our aunt and uncle who live in Anderson County.

Peaceful mornings on the upstairs deck.

Monday, July 11 -

That evening my sister and I, along with our aunt and uncle, went to Greenville for the Summer Shakespeare production of Love's Labor's Lost, put on by the Greenville Shakespeare Company.

Past productions I have attended are Two Gentlemen from Verona, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It.