Elizabeth Roberts
Elizabeth’s motto is “Be the change.” She does this well. For instance, recently, she took the initiative to figure out why the lock was stuck on the cable securing the pétanque rings at the courts. She came up with a combination that worked. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Our petanque friend Elizabeth joined the EPC in early 2024. She is versatile in many ways besides “cracking the code.” Two of her favorite things about petanque, Elizabeth confides, are her love of pointing and a desire to learn how to shoot. Overall, she enjoys meeting new people and getting involved in a good healthy outlet.
Elizabeth was glad to participate in the Pro-Am Tournament earlier this year with Forest as her Pro teammate, the Bastille Day Tournament and the Food Bank Tournament. Though they recorded no wins she and teammates played with respectable scores. Way to go, Elizabeth!
A rare Seattle native, Elizabeth has also lived in several other west coast cities including San Diego, where she began a career in banking, followed by working for Caesar’s Tahoe in public relations and advertising, and dabbling in modeling. During our conversation, Elizabeth shared some great photo spreads that appeared in various ski magazines and brochures.
Elizabeth’s passion in life is volunteering, and her resume is impressive when you consider all the hours she has invested in her sweet spot of caring, helping and sharing her love of humanity with others. The venues of her work range far afield.
Elizabeth’s primary commitment for several years was working as an advocate with the Victim Support Team (VST) of the Seattle Police Department. The VST was created to fill the gap in services that exist on weekends when other support systems and resources are unavailable. Teams work in pairs providing crisis intervention, both in-person and over the phone. VST filled Elizabeth with the satisfaction that comes from knowing she has helped victims by addressing resource and safety concerns. She thinks of returning.
Cascadia Art Museum also benefits from Elizabeth’s love of volunteering and her knowledge of art. As an ambassador she helps visitors understand artwork and fields questions. Currently the museum has an exhibit on precisionist art, and an exhibit of important NW Women artists active in the mid-20th century.
As a docent at the Woodland Park Zoo, Elizabeth got up close and personal with elephants, her favorite animal. As a zoo docent she facilitated visitor exploration of physical objects set on a stationary cart. The objects were related to a theme and encouraged questions from the public.
Did you ever take in a play at the Act Theatre at 7thth and Union in Seattle? As a volunteer usher, Elizabeth may have shown you to your seat and with that glorious smile given you a program for “Lost in Yonkers” or “Becky’s New Car.”
A book lover, Elizabeth belongs to a book group. The group meets at a friend’s home on Whidbey Island to discuss their most recent choice. One of her all-time favorite reads is To Kill a Mockingbird.
Elizabeth enjoys traveling with her friends and family. They have been to Italy, visiting Sienna, Milan, Lake Como, Rome, and the Vatican City. They learned how it feels to get lost for a short time while coming back from Florence when they missed the last bus to Volterra. While in England, Elizabeth and her family enjoyed London. Even better was the picturesque scenery from Paddington to Bath and the Mad Max tour of the Cotswolds. While in Bath they stayed in an 18th century hotel purported to be haunted. Maybe it was Bath’s Night Ghost Tour that triggered their imaginations.
These days Elizabeth is involved in pottery and sculpting and loses herself each Wednesday afternoon in a class creating fun projects that touch her heart. You may also find Elizabeth ushering at the Wade James Theatre where the Driftwood Players perform. As you know, the Edmonds Driftwood Players offer discounted tickets to Edmonds Petanque Club members. See you there, Elizabeth.
Howard Heflin
Howard Heflin hails from Omaha, Nebraska. He and wife J have been married 58 years as of September 2024. They have no kids, yet Howard is the family genealogist and has many stories about the five generations of his family that he has researched. Howard’s many nieces, nephews, and cousins will inherit interesting information about Heflin Family members who immigrated to the US before the Revolutionary War. One such ancestor, a great uncle and ship’s captain hauled merchandise up and down the Atlantic seaboard. A great grandfather was a coal merchant and made sure Howard’s grandmother and her sister arrived safely to the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma. Another ancestor fought in the Civil War and survived his incarceration at Andersonville Prison. The stories Howard relates touched my heart, and don’t you just know the Heflin Family progeny will not only inherit the family tree but also the legacy that goes along with families who make up the backbone of the USA.
Howard chats freely about his wife and why he calls her J. That’s J without a period. Seems J doesn’t like her real name. It comes from being of Finnish heritage. To describe J, Howard uses the word sisu which he said is Finnish for attitude. The word does not translate easily into English and also means “to endure.” The Finnish are of hardy stock and have endured hardships like the Russian invasion during World War II. Howard grins when he says, “J has ‘attitude’ which suits her just fine.”
It’s not surprising that J, when traveling on her own with a Rick Steves tour in France, observed the game of petanque. She explained to her husband that she’d seen the game played in a town square. When the two of them began traveling together with another Rick Steves tour group, Howard saw first-hand how the game was played and was invited to try it. He became fascinated.
Upon returning home Howard located a petanque group in Bellevue not far from Woodinville where he and J live. Before long, he’d met Cris, Manh, Jacques and John Hunt. Cris clued him into Edmonds’ Bastille Day Tournament, and the rest is history. Howard comments that his petanque game is still a work in progress.
One of the early rules in the Heflin marriage was – not to play games together nor walk together. So far, it’s working. Howard plays pétanque and J does not.
Other hobbies that Howard adores are art and photography. Since Howard was nine years old, he has loved taking pictures and developing his photos in the bathroom sink. When he was a boy, Howard’s grandmom gave him her 35 mm camera, and his dad gave Howard’s brother a Zeiss camera. When he attended Kansas State and lived with his grandparents, Howard began taking color slides and used the camera through college and the service. As Howard explored his creative side, he liked what developed while catching action shots with a favorite camera.
Howard is a man of many talents and hobbies – whether researching the family tree, traveling with J, playing a friendly game of petanque with club members in Bellevue or Edmonds, or taking photographs of Edmonds Petanque Club events. He generously donates his pictures from events like the recent Food Bank Tournament to the club website. It is fun to converse with Howard because you’ll enjoy learning something new, especially if he is telling you a special thing about his life. Happy 58th anniversary, Howard and J!