PHOTOS BY OLIVER HAMLIN FOR WEST SEATTLE BLOG

Hundreds of people spent Sunday admiring and photographing the 12 gardens spotlighted on this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour. Among them was WSB contributing photojournalist Oliver Hamlin, who presents a scene from each garden (including some of the gardeners. First, at Garden A, “A Show of Northwest Natives“:

Charles Anthony, who created Garden B, “Salish Sea Sanctuary,” posed with his Japanese Maple:

Garden C, “Heron Cove,” has its namesake standing sentinel:

Below are Debra Montgomery and Lee Kelly; she bought the “Heron Cove” house 7 years ago and inherited Lee, who has been the gardener for 40 years. She said the previous homeowners sought out a buyer who wouldn’t tear down the house and would keep caring for the garden, which she and Lee both now do.

Garden D was described as “Small Spaces, Big Moments”:

Below (L-R) are the gardeners behind Garden D, Laird Applegate and Brian Pelzel:

Garden E was “From a Sprawling Lawn and One Tree to …”

Blackberries are often the bane of a gardener’s existence, but in Garden F, “Transformation,” they were beautiful:

Garden F’s (L-R) Diane Elie and Raquel Gonzalez store water in 60-gallon rainbarrels and told Oliver that it fills most of their irrigation needs:

At Garden G, “Hidden Gem,” Julie Robinson-Jasper and Maple the dog are seen through a mirror surrounded by star jasmine at Garden G, “Hidden Gem”:

Another scene from Garden G:

Garden H, “Behind the Fences,” sported an arch of bittersweet nightshade:

A clawfoot bathtub graced Garden I, “A Fresh Look for A Once-Beloved Garden“:

Garden J, “Garden of Many Rooms,” was conducive to wandering:

Garden K offered onlookers “Plants from Around the World“:

And Garden L, “Conifer Corner,” featured a 75-year-old wisteria:

(Read details of each garden here.) The West Seattle Garden Tour is organized by a nonprofit that uses the proceeds to support other nonprofits – here are this year’s grant recipients; see how to apply for one of next year’s grants by going here (July 15 is the deadline).

Three robberies occurred within 30 minutes of each other on Friday in Seattle, with law enforcement believing they were connected due to the timing, proximity, and similar descriptions of the suspects.

The first of three robberies began at 4:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Highland Drive near Kerry Park, when the Seattle Police Department (SPD) received reports of two men pointing guns at a man, SPD told KIRO Newsradio.

As officers arrived on scene, they located a 32-year-old man. The victim was sitting in his car when two suspects parked their car beside his and approached him with guns. The suspects ordered the victim to exit his vehicle and give them his necklace.

The victim claimed he had nothing of value, and the suspects ultimately fled in a dark sedan, possibly west on W. Highland Drive. The suspects were described as Black males, possibly in their late teens to 20s. Each suspect wore a mask and gloves, but the victim could not accurately recall what the suspects were wearing.

Second Seattle robbery came minutes after the first, this time at a store

Two minutes later, at 4:32 a.m., dispatch received a report of a robbery at a convenience store in the 1600 block of Queen Anne Avenue N. At the scene, officers made contact with a 25-year-old man.

The victims stated that two suspects entered the store, threatened them, and took money from two of the cash register drawers.

Soon after, the suspects fled the scene in a dark colored sedan. One suspect was described as a Black male in his 20s, roughly 6 feet, 2 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark-colored clothing. The second suspect was described as a Black male, 6 feet tall, with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark-colored clothing.

Final robbery targeted a Beacon Hill convenience store with two victims

At 4:51 a.m., dispatch received a third report of a robbery, this time at a convenience store in the 4800 block of Beacon Avenue S.

Officers arrived and made contact with two victims, a 55-year-old man and a 24-year-old man. The SPD investigation revealed that one of the victims was in the cooler and the other was behind the counter when the two suspects first entered the store.

The victim in the cooler exited to see what was happening, then shut the door to the employee area and stayed there until it was safe to come out.

The 24-year-old victim was behind the counter when the suspect pointed a firearm at him. The suspect forced the victim to open the cash register and took the cash while the other suspect stood by the main entry door with a handgun.

Both suspects exited the store and fled the scene in an unknown direction. The first suspect was described as a Hispanic or Black male in his 20s, with a medium build, wearing a mask, gloves, and dark clothing. The second suspect was described as a Hispanic or Black male in his 20s, wearing a mask and gloves, with light colored pants and dark shoes.

No victims reported injuries as a result of each of the three robberies, and no suspects have been apprehended as of this reporting.

SPD’s Robbery Unit has been assigned to each case.

Anyone with information is urged to contact SPD’s Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

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The Mariners have made the first move in what’s sure to be a rip-roaring Trade Deadline season, acquiring INF Buddy Kennedy from the Giants in exchange for cash considerations.

Kennedy was designated for assignment by San Francisco earlier this morning as outfielder Heliot Ramos returned from the Injured List.

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The 5’10” infielder has spent most of the season with Triple-A Sacramento, hitting well, even for the PCL. He’s in the 78th percentile for xWOBA, has a nearly identical K% and BB% (12.6%/12.1%) and rarely whiffs. This all has come out to a .322 batting average and a 152 wRC+. He’s made just a minimal impression in the bigs this season, with 8 plate appearances in 7 games, and zero hits.