Put up the welcome flag > Family honors visitors by flying their flags

The Contis are having a few people over for dinner tonight. So in the morning, long before Jan Conti has begun to think about the food for the evening, she goes outside and runs a few flags up the pole.

The American flag goes up first. Whether it’s the Stars and Stripes or the 1812 “Don’t Tread on Me” version, the good old U.S.A. occupies the place of highest honor each morning at the top of the yardarm.

On one side she places the state flag of Wyoming, where one of the dinner guests will be heading soon. On the other side she flies the flag of Poland — a colorful greeting to their friend, a member of a Polish order of Roman Catholic nuns called the Felicians, who will be eating with them.

“It’s a nice way to welcome people to our home,” Mrs. Conti said, peering up at the three banners fluttering lazily over her driveway.

The Contis — Jan’s husband, John, is a lawyer — have been avidly collecting flags since they built their spacious, modern home on Kenduskeag Avenue in Bangor 12 years ago. They have more than 50 of them now, representing the many U.S. states and foreign countries they have visited.

The Contis fly three different flags each morning, not as mere decoration, but because they genuinely like flags. They like the colors, symbolism, and history of flags. They also like the little mysteries that flags can pose to anyone who does not live under them: Why, for instance, does the flag of South Carolina display only the silhouettes of a shaggy white palm tree and a crescent moon on a dark blue background?

Aside from being able to fly the flag of Zimbabwe for the benefit of a neighbor who comes from South Africa, and Holland’s flag for her husband, the Contis use flags the way other people use souvenir T-shirts and camcorders: to recall where they have been in the world.

“That’s mainly what it’s about,” said Mrs. Conti, who grew up in flag-rich Washington. D.C. “It shoots you right back in your head to the people you met and the fun you had somewhere. When it’s drizzly outside, I can just look out the kitchen window and I’ve got California or Florida.”

Conti selects the day’s flags from a large box she keeps in the hall closet. Among the dozens of modern, lightweight nylon flags is a 19th-century woolen Italian flag, its colors slightly faded. The flag was a gift from a friend, in honor of John’s heritage.

“We fly it occasionally, but only if the conditions are right,” Mrs. Conti said. “Not too much wind or bright sun.”

Mrs. Conti’s fondness for flags began as a child, while summering on Beech Hill Pond. Cruising alone in a little motorboat, she knew it was time to head for shore when she saw her father take the flag down for the day.

The Contis usually flew an American flag at their cottage on Lucerne Lake. The collecting bug hit them later, however, when a friend greeted them at his Massachusetts home by flying an Italian flag from the yardarm.

“That got me thinking about how much fun it would be to collect flags from the countries we visited,” Mrs. Conti said.

Most of the world’s flags are available through mail-order catalogs. That was how the Contis were able to salute their new Bangor neighbor in such high style without having to go all the way to Zimbabwe. But they wouldn’t think of ordering any old flag just for the heck of it.

“I’m not looking to own all of the flags of the U.S., only the flags of the states we’ve visited or where our friends are from,” Mrs. Conti said. “There has to be some meaning behind it.”

The old Italian flag is her most interesting, and she likes the proud defiance of the American “Don’t Tread on Me” snake design. Her favorites are Scotland’s royal flag and St. Andrew’s cross: Besides being the colors of her roots, both flags are neatly merged into the single banner of Nova Scotia. On occasion, she even finds herself chatting about flags with strangers who are curious about this mini-United Nations nestled in the trees at the end of the drive.

“Most of all, we do it for ourselves,” Mrs. Conti said. “It’s instant recall. When I fly the Wyoming flag, for instance, I can remember the great time we had at Yellowstone and the beautiful scenery. And that tends to make me think of the United States, and how wonderful it is and what we have here. When you look out at the flags flying, it’s hard to get depressed.”