Autumn leaves are falling and I’m loving life. This is my time of year, these months heading into winter when the air gets snappy and the apples get crunchy and every store you enter smells like pumpkin and cinnamon.
So it’s with great pleasure that I announce that the Montclair Farmer’s Market will be staying open through fall and into winter – and right through spring. In other words, it’s going year round. And that’s great news for folks like Yogeeta Gamper who says she likes the stroll and the fresh produce. Susan Levy says she loves seeing her neighbors and friends at the market and Nina Johnson says not only does the market create a sense of community, it lures her family into the retail shops that are open on Sundays.

Cleaning Up: It’s great to hear there’s a new beautification committee in the village. Helen Wyman with the Montclair Village Association says the group includes six merchants who will be gently nudging their neighbors to keep their storefronts and sidewalks clean. “The association pays for monthly steam cleaning,� she says, “but you can barely tell sometimes in the food court area. That’s the spot I call coffee corners, where the daily spill of lattes and mochas combines with other slimy substances on our walkways. It’s nothing short of gross and readers often complain about the stains. By the way, Helen says the MVA has a steam cleaner in the parking garage that merchants can borrow for free – but no-one ever does. If you’d like to check it out, just ask Jimmy in the pay booth.

Shop Talk: After months of swirling speculation and rumors, it’s been confirmed that the owners of McCaulou’s are taking over the 6000+ square foot space vacated by Ps Home on Mountain Boulevard. Their new shop is called Madison and will carry gifts, cards and women’s jackets and clothing. The only other Madison right now is in Lafayette.

Meanwhile, the hammering continues at the old Paradise Pizza, where the building is getting a real gutting before Guadalajara moves in. Montclair hasn’t had a big sit-down Mexican restaurant since Nero’s was torn down in the Safeway remodel. Guadalajara already has a restaurant in the Fruitvale District and I’m told the Margarita’s are succulent

Weed Wackers: It’s not the most glamorous job on earth, but Adrienne and Herb Bryant are making a difference. Their group Eco-pullers and Re-planters yanked a lot of Cape Ivy out of the creek in Shepherd Canyon Park, recently, near the Escher Gate. The ivy is prolific and chokes native plants and waterways but they also pull nasty thistles and broom, too. The Eco-pullers are part of the Shepherd Canyon Homeowners Association and you can help them by calling 339-0985.

Celebrity Spotting: Word has it Randy Moss is looking for a home in Montclair. The Raider’s new wide receiver walked into The Studio on La Salle Avenue, recently, and asked photographer Reenie Raschke to take some publicity shots. She snapped him in a warm-up suit, a Sunday-go-to-meeting suit and his birthday suit. Well, not quite. But he did take his shirt off for the third set of photos and I’m here to report that his washboard abs were – in a word – spectacular.

Got news? You can reach Ginny Prior by phone at 510-273-9418 or on the web at www.ginnyprior.com.

We come across them every day. Most of the time, we ignore them, but every now and then they jump up to bite us. I’m talking about raised sections of sidewalk that can catch a heel and send you tumbling to the turf. When it happened to me, the contents of my purse went flying and I lay there, stunned, as I watched my lipstick roll down the street. But when it happened to Adriana Giacomelli, it was much more serious. “I tripped and fell so hard that I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital,� the retired realtor told me. And it happened in front of the Montclair Longs Drug, where a city-owned tree is apparently pushing up concrete. “My hands were full and I fell on my face,� she said, adding that she looked like she’d been run over by a truck. “And this is not the first time this has happened,� she said. A man who helped her that day said he’d seen at least 3 other people trip on the very same section of sidewalk.
Similar stories have come from the other side of town, where I’ve written repeatedly about the raised section of sidewalk in front of Montclair’s Blockbuster Video. At least 2 readers have reported falling there and the location has been reported to Public Works, with no visible results.
But having said all this, I’m cautiously optimistic that things will soon change. I’ve been told by Public Works spokesperson Jeanette Edgerly that repairs should be made to both sites this week. It’s just too bad it took so many calls and so many falls, not to mention a trip to the hospital, for someone to take action. So here’s the number, once again, to report pothole and sidewalk complaints to the city: 510-615-5566. And I hope that store owners and managers keep an eye out for problems, too. If we put our heads together we can tackle this problem.

Neighborhood Alert: I’ve had several e-mails from readers who say that people are rummaging through their recycling bins. It’s one thing to take bottles and cans, which rob the collection company of valuable revenue – but there’s also the possibility of identity theft. Resident Jeff Perloff says he called Oakland Police when he saw someone digging through his gray bin and was told it was out of their hands. Even the recycling company didn’t seem concerned. So the best advice is to put your bin out the morning of pick-up and shred any important documents, including credit card offers, before you recycle.

Reaching Out: Thanks to hills resident Rick Stuart (KFOG radio’s afternoon personality) for telling me about tomorrow’s Wheelchair Regatta at Encinal Yacht Club. Handicapped vets are being treated to a boat ride on the bay, lunch and entertainment. Rick is offering his boat and would like other powerboat skippers to volunteer too. If you’d like to help, e-mail Margot Brown at mjbjhb@aol.com.

Grape Crush: Winemaking in Montclair? Yum! Nils Cunningham and mother Jean have been making wine in their garage this month – and soon they’ll enjoy the fruits of their labor. “We had a bumper crop of grapes this year,â€� says Nils, who shares a one acre Gold Country vineyard with two other partners, including his mom. Nils’ girlfriend, Lisa Gifford, lives on the property and helps tend to the grapes, which are brought to Montclair by truck. The crusher and fermenter are in the Cunningham’s garage. And how good is their homemade wine? “I haven’t had to pour any out,â€� says Nils, who took weekend classes in vineyard management through UC Davis. But he doesn’t have aspirations of being a wine baron anytime soon. “It barely pays for itself and it’s more of a labor of love,â€� he admits. So for Nils, he’ll be keeping his day job – as a professional theatre stage hand. And his mom? After retiring as a flutist with the Oakland Symphony, Jean runs the Paramount Theatre pop music library. It seems all three elements are in place – wine, women – and song.

Speaking of grapes, artist Michael Grbich says someone near Broadway Terrace has a vineyard on their property. They’re actually growing grapes in their terraced back yard. With the price of land around here, you might as well get a little table wine out of the deal.
Got news? You can reach Ginny Prior by phone at 510-273-9418 or on the web at www.ginnyprior.com.

When I moved to the Bay Area in 1983, I’d never heard of the Oakland hills. It was San Francisco that called — and I left everything to answer. Now I barely hear her seductive cries. Montclair is my mistress and it’s hard to see beyond her tree-studded hills to the towering city beyond.
But when I do cross the bridge, I want the full San Francisco experience. I want the music, the arts, the food and the humor — all in a wildly-wrapped package. Teatro Zinzanni delivers.
When this cirque-style cabaret first opened, I thought it a bit bizarre — even for San Francisco. But the mayhem that takes place under the European traveling tent is irresistible. It’s the essence of this city to combine seductive humor and unworldly talent and dress it with a memorable five-course meal. And the food is part of the show. It’s woven into the storyline and celebrated with outrageous acts by the waiters and waitresses, who send salads flying and desserts levitating. And as you eat, you’re in awe of the aerial artists and jugglers and opera singers and mimes. Your senses are bombarded but you’re left craving more.
Thelma Houston is starring at Teatro right now, and she brings down the house when she sings her 1977 hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” It’s the only time I’ve ever gotten up during dinner to dance by my table. But that’s the allure of this place. You never know what’s going to happen. And you can’t be held responsible for the madness that may overcome you.

COMIC RELIEF: Laughter is not only good medicine, it can loosen the purse strings. That’s what the volunteers at the Oakland Elizabeth House hope will happen when my friend and comedian Bob Sarlatte emcees their annual auction and party on Oct. 8. The money they raise will help one of the most successful transitional homes in the country for women and their children. If you’d like to join dozens of other hills volunteers in helping with this event, call Laura Bennett at 510-652-1835.

E-MAIL BAG: It’s touching to see the different ways we respond to disaster. Reader Tina Lowden says her fellow parishioners at St. Columbia Catholic Church are making quilts for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
“Our community has deep roots in New Orleans and Louisiana”, she writes, “and this quilt project is just a small way of giving a caring smile to those who have lost everything.” Tina says one of the quilts will go to two grandparents who lost their newly remodeled home in the flood. She wants to use Mardi Gras material she bought in New Orleans years ago. The colors are green, purple and gold.

Regarding last week’s column item on Moss Landing, reader Elaine Geffen says she’s familiar with this little fishing village and has enjoyed birdwatching on the Elkhorn Slough Safari. But she especially loves the food at Phil’s Fish Market.
“It is the restaurant over the bridge across the little harbor with the best crab cioppino anywhere.” She adds that Phil, the owner, is great — and I have to agree!

CALLING BIRDS: Hills fitness instructor Muriel Reiley didn’t raise her daughter to make funny noises. But for the second year in a row, she’s going on national television with her bird calls. You see, Claire Neumann has won the Leonard Waxdeck bird calling contest two years in a row at Piedmont High and will be imitating the European starling on Oct. 24 on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Needless to say, her family is making quite a squawk over her newfound fame.

Ever since childhood, I have loved birds. And I think the feeling is mutual. Once a hummingbird landed on my red shirt and tried to sip nectar from my cheek. Just recently, I had a long and loud conversation with a Stellar’s Jay. So when a reader told me that one of the best birding spots in the country was just south of Oakland, I perked right up.
The Elkhorn Slough doesn’t sound very sexy, but it’s now on my top 10 list of California places to see. And the best way to see it is on the Elkhorn Slough Safari, a two-hour boat trip hosted by Capt. Yohn Gideon, a naturalist, and equipped with binoculars so you can spy on everything from pelicans fishing to otters feasting on juicy innkeeper worms.
It’s the Nature Channel come alive and the subjects seem unaware that a pontoon of wide-eyed Homo sapiens is sleuthing through the slough. If birds of a feather flock together, than this place is like a giant avian festival with a round-the-clock worm and fish buffet.
Never again will I pass by Moss Landing on my way to Monterey. I’m going back to this little fishing village to whale watch, bike ride and study the wildlife. Because the next time a bird calls me, I want to be able to answer.

PET PROTECTION: Thirty bucks doesn’t buy much these days, but it’ll pay for some piece of mind when it comes to your pet. That’s how much Oakland Animal Services charges for inserting a microchip in your cat or dog. The chip is injected with a needle behind the scruff of the neck and yes — some animals freak out. But it takes only five minutes and may someday save their life. If your pet ever gets lost and ends up in a shelter, the chip can be scanned to find the animal’s owner. Kirsten Park with the East Bay SPCA says that’s what happened with the rust-colored retriever they found in their parking lot this summer. When they scanned the dog’s chip, it led them to Matthew Quick of Euclid Avenue, who was ecstatic to get the call.
“And the dog was insanely happy to see him,” says Park, who adds that because collars fall off, microchips are a great way of ensuring that pets always has identification.

THWARTING THIEVES: It’s no secret that cars are constantly being stolen in Oakland. In fact, Robbie Neely with the Montclair Safety Improvement Council says she’s aware of an alarming increase in auto thefts and break-ins in the past 12 months and her group has a solution. The MSIC is selling The Club (the well-known wheel locking device) for $15 dollars.
Pardon my pun but that price is a steal, and Neely says they’ll be selling The Club at the Lion’s Club flea market in Montclair Park this Sunday.
At least one reader says she’ll be locking her steering wheel from now on. Her stolen car was just found last week and a suspect arrested.
“There are always shady characters out late at night around the corner of Park and El Centro,” she writes, and she says at least one of her older neighbors was mugged, recently, in her own front yard.

LUCKY GUY: Does anyone ever win those big chain store contests, with prizes like cars and trips and cash? Just ask hills dad Lynn Beckwith, who without thinking, put in an entry for Comp USA’s free ride contest last month. The drawing was the next day and his co-worker even told him he didn’t have a chance. But one chance is all you need, sometimes, and Beckwith got the call — he’d won the 2005 Honda Element. The irony is, he’s somewhat of a car buff — already owning three vehicles that his wife, Claire Weber, says he washes and waxes each week. If she gets her way, this new “free ride” will turn into some free cash.