Is it wrong to love a thing? A ridiculous question! Of course we love our things. The objects that fill our homes—especially the things we truly love—define us in a way. They manage, without saying a word, to speak volumes about what is important to us.
GARTH CALLAGHAN
Builder, Motorcycle Racer, Gardener
As a builder, Garth Callaghan, has crafted a home that suits all his needs. Close to Hailey off Buttercup Road, the one-acre compound has a beautiful house filled with light. “There is not a window covering in my house,” he says. He has uncluttered views of the mountains to the west of Hailey and is close to town, but with a country feel. He also has a home office, in addition to one in Bellevue. “That way I can work early in the morning or late in the evening.” The single father of two has built a compound which features a garage for his various bikes and toys, and a barn which contains a work area for small construction projects, houses a travel camper, and most importantly of all, has a large area where he can doctor his Suzuki 600. For the past three years, Callaghan has competed in various super bike series on tracks throughout the Northwest. “Going fast is such a blast,” he says. “I like the stuff that gets my blood rushing a bit, but you have to be smart about it.”
His Object
Clearly, his motorcycle. But, his close second might surprise you.
The principle of complimentary opposites, known as yin and yang, is rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy but you can definitely apply it to native New Zealander Callaghan. How else do you explain a man who races motorcycles 175 miles per hour and launches a paraglider off Baldy, but says he cannot wait until the snow melts so he can enjoy his garden? Not much adrenaline to be found pruning juniper bushes, but Callaghan claims he loves the dirt and solace of his garden in a sense even more than the asphalt and rubber of the racetrack. “I like the color and textures of the garden. The fire red of the maple in the fall and the pink blaze of the flowering crabapple in the spring are just spectacular. I love getting out there and racing motorbikes, but I love coming home to this.” >>>
JANET JARVIS
Idaho Native, Architect, Outdoor Aficionado
The wild, wide-open spaces of the Gem State have a way of creeping into the hearts of people who dwell here. Idaho native and architect Janet Jarvis creates the same kind of lovely permanence by designing one-of-a-kind homes and buildings for her clients which incorporate the natural beauty and materials of the state. “My architecture is very eclectic. It started out being indigenous to Idaho and somewhat traditional in form, but recently I have been doing some very modern work.” Now the veteran of more than 200 projects, Jarvis’ first job in town was redesigning the bathrooms of the now closed Warm Springs Ranch Restaurant. “People can’t believe it when I tell them that.” Not a very glamorous start for such a distinguished career, but a start, nonetheless.
Her Object
Having grown up on a cattle and hay ranch in Lake Fork, Idaho, Jarvis still revels in the cathedrals of Idaho’s mountains and vistas of its plains. “The outside spaces have always been the most important to me.” Jarvis’ object of affection is also a great nature lover, her two-year-old black lab, Nikka. Her importance to Jarvis was brought home recently. “She ran away from a jobsite and we could not find her. The whole atmosphere of my house changed. It was a pretty dramatic week.” Finally found in Bellevue, Nikka required three days recuperating with veterinarian Mark Acker before she could come home. “It was touch and go. She couldn’t walk and was very dehydrated. She’s getting along a lot better now.” No doubt, Nikka’s recovery was speeded by her idyllic surroundings in Lake Creek, a true paradise for any species. Built by her own design in 1989, Jarvis’ stone house occupies a large grassy knoll and is ringed with aspen, pine trees, native grasses, sagebrush and wildflowers. Perennial beds encompassing the house add to the timeless feeling Jarvis has created.
MINETTE BROSCHOFSKY
Owner Broschofsky Galleries, Art Collector, Nature Lover
After moving to the Wood River Valley from Minnesota in the early ’70s, Minette Broschofsky recalls the day she saw her future home nestled on the sweeping curve of Frenchman’s Bend out Warm Springs Road, northwest of Ketchum. “We came out on cross-country skis as the road was closed for winter. It was snowing these huge flakes and coming across a house with a bridge going to it seemed like a dream.” Minette and husband John took possession in 1976 and began tranforming a summer retreat into a year-round haven. “It had no running water. We used to bathe at the hot springs . . .” After three decades the 1,000-square-foot cabin still lacks a dishwasher, but Minette revels in the simplicity. “It is what it is.”
Her Object:
Some of their more cherished pieces of art adorn the shelves above the Broschofskys’ fireplace. “John and I refer to them as our little gems,” Minette says. “Too often in life people don’t take the time to consider what speaks to them. Practically everything in here was made by someone, a one-of-a-kind piece, made with the intent of expressing a beautiful thought.” The pieces include a Milagro cross, Roycroft hammered copper vase, painted totems, a Blue Corn black ceramic plate, a Hopi pot, Santa Clara bears, oil paintings by Russell Chatham and David Dixon and a bronze sculpture by Wolfgang Pogzeba. Minette loves the Western art and says her most compelling piece is an 8×10 vintage photograph named “The Vanishing Race” from Edward Curtis’ 30-year project, “The North American Indian.” The gold-tone photograph depicts Navajo Indians on horseback, fading off into an undefined distance. “It is a sad picture,” she says. “Curtis chose it as the first in his historic series of thousands of images. I just think it is a metaphor for our lives. The depth and mysteriousness of life—the incredible uncertainty—really applies today as in Curtis’ time.”