Olympic Valley Property Owners Association

09/24/2026

Some birds just don't realize how lucky they are.

To The Lucky Ones...

09/20/2026

Read "The Joy of Seeing" as an invitation to slow down, look again, and rediscover the wonder hiding in plain sight. It may change not only what you notice, but how fully you experience the world around you.

Slow down and practice the joy of seeing. Begin with something small. A dandelion. Look for a shaft of light, A weathered tree, Something familiar in deadwood.A feeling you can't quite shake.Something funny that catches your eye.A street sign that makes you smile.A cartoon that grabs your attention....

09/19/2026

One astonishing fact about Cave Rock: the remnant of the cave that gave it its English name sits roughly 200 feet above Lake Tahoe’s waterline.

Even more meaningful, the Washoe know the formation as De‑ek Wadapush. It’s been sacred for thousands of years and is now recognized as a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places.

It’s not merely a dramatic rock beside Tahoe, it’s a place where geologic time and living spiritual history share the same space.

09/18/2026

HUGE GRATITUDE

To the incredible crews from CAL FIRE, Olympic Valley Fire Department, CHP - Truckee, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, and all the surrounding First Responders and agencies who jumped into action so quickly when the fire started on Wednesday morning (photos taken shortly after the fire started), and continue to engage with the Floriston Fire today.

Important Resources:

Updates about the fire are being posted in real time here: https://www.facebook.com/nevadacountysheriffsoffice?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Genasys Protect: https://protect.genasys.com/en?lat=39.3758&lng=-120.1244&z=10

The Watch Duty App

And CalFire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

Genasys Protect: https://protect.genasys.com/en?lat=39.3758&lng=-120.1244&z=10

The Watch Duty App

And CalFire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

https://fb.watch/v/6kMidmhyg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/17/2026

Alpenglow Mornings like this are a gift to the spirit.

09/15/2026

What happens when a scientist and an artist climb the same mountain, but inhabit entirely different worlds?

On Granite Chief Trail, one measures elevation, wind speed, geology, and light. The other sees resilience in an ancient Juniper Tree, a forest carried into the future by a bird, and faces emerging from weathered wood.

But beneath an impossible Olympic Valley sunset, certainty begins to soften. The scientist discovers that understanding the world need not diminish its mystery. And the artist realizes that measurement may simply be another form of attention.

I hope you’ll join Elena and Daniel on their climb in my newest BlueWolfGallery story, “The Measure of Wonder,” in the link below.

https://www.bluewolfgallery.com/post/the-measure-of-wonder

09/14/2026

A BIG THANK-YOU—AND AN IMPORTANT REQUEST

A heartfelt thank-you to Tom and Julie Duda, Melanie Arens, Bob and Marcia Barnett, Tuck Wilson, Ed Heneveld, and David and Judie Stepner for volunteering as monitors at today’s Olympic Valley Green Waste Drop-Off Day.

Many of these wonderful neighbors have stepped forward not only today, but time and again. Their generosity keeps this important community program operating, and I’m deeply grateful to each of them.

Our Green Waste Drop-Off Days help Olympic Valley homeowners:

• Remove hazardous vegetation and create defensible space
• Reduce the wildfire fuel surrounding our homes and neighborhoods
• Maintain Olympic Valley’s FIREWISE Community certification
• Make our entire Valley safer and better prepared for wildfire

But there’s something our community needs to understand clearly: this is a volunteer-run program, and it cannot continue without Volunteer Monitors.

Each month, it’s a challenge to fill our seven-hour roster with seven willing Volunteers. Too often, we rely upon the same generous people—the neighbors who show up because others don’t. That simply isn’t fair.

I understand that we all have busy lives. Sometimes we’re out of town. Sometimes family, work, or other commitments make Volunteering impossible. But for a program that benefits so many Olympic Valley homeowners, one hour is not a big ask.

If you bring green waste to these events—or simply value the wildfire protection they provide our community—please seriously consider Volunteering for a one-hour shift next month (Sunday, October 11th) or during next season. You don’t need special expertise, and the work is straightforward.

Without more homeowners stepping forward, this program will eventually dissolve. Its future depends upon all of us sharing the responsibility—not just the same faithful few.

To today’s Volunteers: thank you for giving your time, once again, in service to Olympic Valley. Your generosity matters, your example matters, and our community is safer because of you.

Michael Kennedy
Olympic Valley FIREWISE Committee

09/13/2026

The Admiral Energies of Nature

“There will be grief that remains unsolvable after all the years like a bag of stones you must carry with you.

“But there is also the summoning world, the admiral energies of nature, better than grief or anger or bitterness, which alleviates.”
~ Mary Oliver, Upstream

09/12/2026

We have only TWO 1-hr shifts left to fill for tomorrow’s Green Waste Drop-Off: between 9am - 11am.

Who will step up to help?

Remember - the Green Waste Program is NOT monitored by the Olympic Valley Public Service District (OVPSD), but rather by YOU - Volunteers from our Valley.

We need Volunteers for this program which offers homeowners discounts on their home insurance. Without Volunteers this program is in jeopardy.

Please help if you can.

Michael