Bill and Barbara Dolmovic
Bill & Barbara have been permanent residents of the Ponderosa since 1979. Barbara got her real estate license in 1986 and started Peppermint Realty, graduating with a real estate GRI degree in 1990. Barbara along with Bill opened up Aspen Real Estate in Ponderosa at their 56800 Aspen Drive office. In 2001 Bill got his Real Estate brokers license, also joining the Tulare County Board of Realtors.
Before moving to Ponderosa, Bill lived in Leona Valley Ca, employed as a Senior Research Engineer with Lockheed Aircraft in Palmdale Ca, a job he enjoyed since he graduated with a BSME degree from Michigan Technological University in Houghton Michigan.
Both Bill and Barbara are former pilots of small aircraft and enjoyed ballooning, glider and fixed wing aircraft flying as hobbies while living in Leona Valley. Bill also was active in the equestrian scene living on his ranch in Leona valley raising Appaloosa horses. Barbara lived in Malibu Ca, getting her Psychiatric Technician license from UCLA and LA Trade Tech. Barbara was an American Airlines Hollywood & Vine ticket office manager and a certified Hatha Yoga teacher. In June of 1979 Bill and Barbara got married. In August they bought a mountain getaway cabin in Ponderosa and in November they moved to Ponderosa permanently. Bill continued working at Lockheed aircraft, finishing the testing programs of the B-1 bomber and the Space shuttle orbiter. After commuting for two years, Bill opted to leave Lockheed and his secure corporate job to start a design and construction company in Ponderosa known as “High Sierra Builders”. Bill has designed and built over 50 new homes in our mountain area since this conception. In 1983 Bill developed a snow removal business known as” High Sierra Snow Removal”. Today High Sierra Snow Removal contracts with the community service district and Tulare County to clear 10 miles of community and public roads during the winter season along with clearing over 90 private driveways. With snowfalls nearing 30 ft per year, this is a major 6-month effort.
Recently Aspen Real Estate expanded to an annex office in Camp Nelson sharing a building with another one of their business enterprises DBA gift shop “Tree House Treasures” along with office manager/real estate agent / partner Cheri Vos.
All in all, Bill and Barbara’s entrepreneurial efforts employ over 8 people in our mountain communities throughout the year.
Bill is a past President of the Upper Tule Association, Ponderosa Property Association and the Ponderosa Community Service district. He also is an active member of the Ponderosa Fire brigade, been an EMT, member of the Elks Lodge, Eagles Lodge, a life member of the Tulare County Historical Society and a founding member of the Camp Nelson Conservancy and Camp Nelson Ambulance Association. He has chaired many committees in these organizations. The most noteworthy effort was putting together “Music in the Meadow” bringing top recording artists to our community to perform in the beautiful setting of the Camp Nelson Conservancy meadow.
Barbara is presently a board member of the Ponderosa Community Service district, committee chairperson of the membership and sunshine committee’s with the Ponderosa Property Owners Association. Her real passion other than sharing her knowledge of living in the High Sierras is cooking. Bill claims she has cooked a unique recipe almost every evening since they got married 32 years ago.
Call Barbi anytime of the day to find out anything about our mountain community.
Home/office: 559-542-8000
aspenrealestate@wildblue.net
Cheri Vos
I have been in Camp Nelson since 1996 after purchasing our cabin on the Tule River. We fell in love with the area and eventually purchased a mountain home that became a rental property for seven years. We were pleasantly surprised at how lucrative owning a rental property can be! In 2007, my husband and I semi-retired and moved from Camarillo, CA into our mountain home in Camp Nelson.
In July of 2008, I was hired by Bill Dolmovic as the Office Manager for High Sierra Builders, High Sierra Snow Removal and Aspen Real Estate. Bill designs, builds, and remodels beautiful cabins. He also provides snow removal for the Ponderosa area, and is the Broker for Aspen Real Estate. His wife, Barbara, is a Realtor and her and Bill have 30 years of real estate experience on the mountain. I have been a licensed agent for eight years and came on board with Aspen Real Estate as a Realtor in April 2009. I sold three cabins, one after another, that same year. It was so fun for me to work with people who love the area and “get” what’s going on here. It was especially rewarding to match them with the cabin of their dreams. Naturally there are those moments when some would ask, “Is this really what we want to do at this time in our life? Can we afford to own a cabin? Are we getting a good deal?" Luckily those same clients have returned saying the following, "Oh my gosh, we own a cabin in the forest by a river and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done!” “We are so happy we did this!” “Every penny we spent was worth it! We got an incredible deal!” Unfortunately the ones that hesitated and turned away due to the economy or other fears, came back later wanting what they saw and it was no longer available.
Living here in the Southern Sierras has certainly been an amazing experience. Each season brings its own unique beauty. I’ve given up trying to decide which season I favor most because each one yields its own magic. My commute to work is still twenty minutes, same as when I commuted from Camarillo to to Amgen in Thousand Oaks, but most of the time I’m the only one on the road except for an occasional deer family, bobcat or fox, or squirrels playing Russian Roulette with my tires. On a really special day, I have viewed a soaring red tail hawk above the canyon or a bear cub chasing after its mother in search of berries. I’ve fallen in love with cross country skiing and go out on my lunch hour as often as possible to get in a 1-1/2 to 2 hour workout through the aspen and redwood trees and incredible vistas of the Needles Lookout. We have the best of both worlds living here in Camp Nelson (4,800 feet) but working in the Ponderosa at the higher elevation of 7,200 feet. In Camp Nelson we get regular snowfalls of 1 – 2 feet. We enjoy a magical silent snowfall then the sun comes out and it melts off in a day or two. At Ponderosa, 11 miles up from Camp Nelson, they receive an average of 20-25 feet of snow a year that only partially melts after each snowfall. It’s wonderful to be so close to an area where snowmobiling and cross country skiing abound, yet without the chaos and crowds of a mountain ski resort. The amounts of moisture we receive from both rain and snow have kept our forest extremely healthy and wildlife abundant. And traveling the highway during the winter months has been a breeze because the roads are so well maintained, with the snow removed before I get out of bed!
Please take the time to review our LISTINGS page, check out our EXPLORE link to discover the many unique things our mountain offers, and CONTACT US with any questions you might have. We have some cool properties on the market that are priced amazingly! I look forward to helping YOU find the cabin of your dreams!
Cheri Vos
(559) 542-2660
(559) 542.2444