Some of the Goldwings and a HD. Biker chic Sandy Checketts and group in the background.

We have been to Colorado several times and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and fun little towns. Six couples and six bikes were on this trip. Trailering the motorcycles with a Van to mid Utah and then unloading to ride and having the Van follow us down to Durango. Silverton, Ouray, and Teluride were also our main stops and a Jeep ride over Blackbear Pass.

This is one of the jeeps on the trail and you can see Teluride in the distance.







Thomas and Joni Axtell at the top of the
Blackbear Pass, Colorado.
Biking through Durango.
A historic hotel and bar in Ouray.

This week at the Conifer Place zone, beautiful down town Logan, we find giant woodpeckers hammering on the north wall of our house. They are impersonating construction workers who were told to finish up our remodel project and go home. Bang slam drillllllllll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, a lovely sound that has been echoing down the halls for more then a year now. I'd like to make this species extinct but no such luck. Seriously, they found water damage on the stucco outer walls and the roof. This picture is on the north side of the house but the roof will also be replaced. Two inexpected expences now in the works. The roof was to last 20 years and we are almost to that point now. We build in 1991.



Meet Arnold Axtell , better know as Uncle Chris to the small fry of the family. He is here to pump you up, take Faye shopping, serve his community, learn lifes' adventures, join in the USU system of "Mr. Ed" , play loud music and sing even louder, dance with- jog with - or chase the USU "Miss Ed's".

Cirque du Flamingo

The Harbor House, a community center in Southwest Harbor, ME, holds the town's annual Flamingo Festival. This year the theme was "circus" and so the festival was dubbed Cirque du Flamingo. The festival was held July 10-13 this year. (Take a peak at the artistic schedule of events.)

I get a kick out of the fact that the festival's mascot is the flamingo, and the town of Southwest Harbor really embraces this mascot by decorating yards and businesses with pink flamingos of various sorts (many of them plastic). Why? Mainly because I know that my Grandma, Faye Atwood, finds plastic pink flamingos to be hideous, especially as lawn decor; and also because my Mom, Joni, and my cousin Misty Page, have been known to adorn Grandma's lawn with flamingos in clandestine fashion in times past.

On Saturday, July 11, Julia and I paid a visit to the Harbor House grounds to see the art exhibits and other booths that were part of the festival. At one point, while were taking a look at some nifty pottery, we met a retirement-age fellow named Don Featherstone. If you follow the link you'll see that he's the inventor of the plastic pink flamingo. I learned that the Harbor House invites him to the festival every year. (I also learned from some of the locals that his wife is a seamstress, and that they've worn matching outfits - made by her - every day for the last 30 years. Believe that or not. They were wearing matching outfits the day that Julia and I met them...) I met Mr. Featherstone because someone was asking him about his involvement with the festival, and he was telling them the story of how he made the first plastic flamingo in 1957. I had heard this story before. I interrupted and asked him, "Haven't I heard this story on NPR?" As I struck up a conversation with him, Julia seemed surprised by my enthusiasm. "I've never met anyone I'd previously heard about on the radio before," I explained. It was good for some laughs.

Here are some photos of the flamingos on display around town on July 11.









Here's a couple of photos from the festival's flamingo art galery.

Summer in Maine

I had never driven across country until Julia and I moved to Southwest Harbor, Maine, this summer. We had a great road trip visiting an old friend of mine in Ohio, and some of Julia's family in New York on the way.



Here's a picture from a Saturday picnic with Julia's step sisters.





This is the house we're renting this summer from Julia's parents, Janice and Galen.



Here's a glimpse of a recent lobster feast. Did you notice that Julia has the same sweater on in two photos? I'd like to point out here that I bought that sweater for her during her birthday last year, and I'm very happy that she enjoys it.

Welcome to the Ellis and Katie Axtell Family Blog!

I've really enjoyed posting thoughts and stories to Julia's family blog, and so I thought I'd start one for the Axtell branches of our family.

I look forward to your posts, photos, and (short) videos.