What kind of person dumps tires and trash — even cars into a watershed? The word “litter bug” isn’t strong enough to describe a scofflaw like this. “Dumper” doesn’t do it either. But whatever you call these folks, they’re living all around us and leaving their junk along Pinehurst Road on the way to Canyon.
You should have seen what crews pulled up last week in an effort to clean up decades of dumping. Over a dozen old cars and hundreds of tires. It was incredibly hard work with workers using cranes and other heavy equipment to hoist the junk up to the road and haul it away. And EBMUD paid plenty to get the job done.
Maybe the canyon will stay clean for a while. And maybe horses will fly, too. One thing’s for sure. Seeing all that trash made me lose a little more faith in people. I think I need an attitude adjustment.

STAYING CALM: If you owned a business, what would you name it? In the case of Eryn Harrison’s new salon, the name is a reflection of her mood. When she opened Calm A Salon at 4315 Piedmont Ave. this summer, her goal was to create an oasis.
“I didn’t want it to be a hustle and bustle salon. Everybody has these crazy busy lives and when you’re in my salon I want you to be calm,” she said. But around Eryn, it’s hard to be anything but calm. She’s sweet and soft-spoken and has lots of friends from her years of styling hair in Montclair.
In fact, leaving the village was one of her biggest fears.
“Working at the Hair Tailor — it was so important to be part of the community,” she said. (Eryn grew up in Montclair and still lives in her family house). But she says her new neighbors have been wonderful and very supportive. In fact, they’re all salon owners who’ve created a little mecca for the body and soul. Good luck in your new location, Eryn. Montclair’s loss is Piedmont Avenue’s gain.

HIGH TIMES: Hills artist Michael Grbich is walking a pretty thin line these days. In fact, it’s a tightrope which he uses for mental stimulation as much as for exercise. And at 73, he’s got some pretty lofty goals, including a lesson next month with Philippe Petit. Petit is the guy who walked a tightrope between New York’s Twin Towers 30 years ago. Grbich won’t be doing any high-wire walking , but you could say he’ll be “learning the ropes” from the expert.

VILLAGE FREEBIES: It seems the Montclair branch library is becoming the place for free books and I don’t mean the ones you check out. Folks have been leaving stacks of paperbacks and periodicals by the front door with increasing regularity. It’s mostly done after hours and librarian Leon Cho says he doesn’t need (or have room) for most of the donations, so he leaves them out there. Eventually they get picked up, either by eager readers or the recycling guy.