In the year 2022, the Edmonds Petanque Club was itinerant, carrying boules, circles, and cochonnets from one petanque venue to another while our new Petanque Grove was being constructed at the Edmonds Playfield. Sierra Park in Edmonds was convenient, but play happened on a softball field, sloping and dusty, pretty much always. If the moon and tides were favorable, groups met at low tide on the beach near the ferry. This was excellent, but high tide persistently interfered. Then club players discovered Hubbard Homestead Park near Northgate. The terrain was ideal. Parking in the Target lot was convenient; but restrooms were not to be found. Northgate was perfect….almost….except it was not. Great rivalries sprang up on WhatsApp. “Let’s play at Northgate; No, I’m closer to Sierra.”
It was the stuff of ballads, or at least of “a” ballad; and that is what you have here: “The Ballad of Northgate and Sierra” (sung to the tune of “Guantanamera.”) The tune is timeless. The lyrics are not; and we hope that in a matter of two months, Edmonds Petanque will be able to return “home to the place we belong” as the song goes. Here is “The Ballad of Northgate and Sierra” as performed by Ro Verdeja at the EPC Annual Meeting in January of 2023:
The Ballad of Northgate and Sierra (To the tune of “Guantanamera”)
Lyrics by: Jack McHenry & Ro Verdeja
EPC annual meeting, Innis Arden Clubhouse
Jan 8th, 2023 (Watch the video: xhttps://youtu.be/PT6klj-jxnQxx)
In Edmonds we play at boules
Whether sun, rain, it is cool
We’ve even played in the ice
No problem, all boules are nice
This game is all that you want
Life is a game of pentanque
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
At low tide we play the sand
Right where the strand meets the ferry
On WhatsApp Ron calling Larry
“Come down to play with the band
Hey, what could be more important?”
Life is a game of petanque
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Was time to build the new field
We didn’t know where we’d go
We knew that we’d have to yield
Just needed somewhere to throw
And so the powers of Edmonds
Decided where we would go
We got Sierra,
Dirty, dusty old Sierra.
Not crazy about Sierra.
It’s not our favorite tierra!
Yo soy un hombre sincero.
This ground ay! Yo no lo quiero
When I am dirty I get qualmas
I keep the dirt off my palmas.
And one thing I really hate:
It’s rolling boules over homeplate!
I don’t like Sierra
It’s just a bad piece of tierra
But Angie gave us Sierra
And I don’t think it’s been fair-a
And one day out of the blue
A new terrain came in play
They call it Hubbart Northgate
With perfect gravel and boules
Ok, fine, there’s no toilet
(But) that doesn’t really spoil it
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
But in the spring this will change
No fight for Northgate or Sierra
Won’t have to choose where to play
A new playfield is our tierra
And now with so many new courts
We’ll play the game that we love
We’ve got a tierra
Our very own special tierra
Come play I dare ya
In April we will be there-a
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera
Guantanamera
Guajira Guantanamera