
Sunrise Over Willapa Bay, September 2012
It’s an absolutely perfect day today in beautiful downtown Oysterville. By eight o’clock this morning the risidual fog had burned off, a slight breeze was blowing, and only a few tourists had yet arrived in town. It promises to be a glorious September — the kind that we often have in this part of the country.
Actually, September and October are usually our best months — not June, which tends to be drizzly and wet; not July or August which can have uncomfortable hot spells. But, September and October can be glorious. And if today is any kind of harbinger, this month will be fabulous, indeed.

Bust of Aaron Burr as Vice-President (1801-1805)
Historically speaking, though, September 1st is a bit of a mixed bag. It was on this day in 1807 that Vice-President (our 3rd) Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason against the U.S. He had been accused of trying to create an independent country in the center of North America including the Southwestern U.S. and parts of Mexico. Burr claimed he was just trying to farm 40,000 acres in the Texas Territory that had been leased to him by the Spanish Crown. He had organized an armed militia of about 60 men. Historians still debate Burr’s true intentions. Since he had killed the former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804, I tend to think he was probably guilty of the treason. Of course, I may be a bit biased, because Hamilton was one of my forebears.
It was September 1, 1873 that the first cable car began service on Clay Street in San Francisco. My grandmother (1876-1954) grew up in San Francisco and then in East Oakland, California. She used to tell me about riding the “trolley” but it never before occurred to me that she might have included cable cars in that description.

Judy Garland with Terry, 1939
Sadly, it was on September 1, 1945, that American female Cairn Terrier, actor, Terry died. Terry played Toto in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Known for doing her own stunts, she broke a foot when she was accidentally stepped on by a Winkie guard during the the filming. She appeared in 16 films, including as Rags in the Shirley Temple movie Bright Eyes (1934). Originally named Terry, she changed her name to Toto after the filming of Wizard of Oz.
I wonder what today will bring to the historic happenings of September 1st. I hope it’s good news to accompany this beautiful day.