Raising a puppy is no easy task, particularly when the breed is known for being mischievous (socks left on the floor are considered treasure and must be hoarded) and aloof. Then again, I like to feel that fits my personality, part of the reason I was drawn to Shibas. Well, that and its striking fox-like features.

The process has had its frustrations, but ultimately we’ve changed for the better with Toro-san (a nod to his Japanese heritage) in the fold. This hit me as we took him for a walk along a Puget Sound beach recently, on the most cliche of Seattle winter days. All the reasons we wanted to move from Manhattan to the Pacific Northwest (outdoors, living close to water, mountains, etc.) are now more enjoyable with a dog.

Both Lisa and I grew up with dogs (Schnauzers/Black Labs for me, Golden Retrievers for L), and we’ve talked for five years now about getting one. What ultimately led to the decision was a bigger apartment, proximity to work and the fact we couldn’t rush it. Our breeder had an eight-month waiting list, allowing us time to prepare and tussle over whether we felt truly committed to the process.

Toro has a personality all of his own. So far he’s atypical from most Shibas in his playful interactions with strangers, yet there are times when he cocoons in a shell and ignores everyone in the house. And I still don’t understand his infatuation with socks…

If you’re interested in the Shiba Inu breed, or have any questions about raising one (get professional dog training … seriously), drop us a line in the comments section. We’re happy to answer any questions.

More soon.

It was a setting not unlike one you see sailing to Orcas Island here in Washington, yet I was halfway across the world.

Lisa and I began the day in Kungsholmen with coffee and kanelbulle, the ubiquitous – and quite tasty – Swedish pastry found at all cafes in town. The idea had been to take a boat out to the Stockholm archipelago, but with dozens of choices available to us, we became paralyzed by the decision. We settled on Vaxholm/Grinda, a combination that would combine the touristy (Vaxholm) with the bucolic (Grinda). Our ferry was filled with tourists from all over Europe, including a couple from Spain who snapped photos and marveled at the way the sun glistened off the water.  Over beers (this was vacation after all), we poured over our guidebooks and sketched out a plan.

Vaxholm was our introduction to the archipelago. We wandered through the streets and browsed through the stores. Lunch was an open-faced sandwich and cake on a deck with a majestic view. Everything was homemade, and we salivated over (but avoided) a platter of fresh-baked desserts the restaurant had put out on a table. Following lunch, we hopped back on the ferry and headed over to Grinda, one of the smaller islands in the archipelago. You can traverse Grinda in less than an hour by foot, and there’s just one hotel on the island. The draw is the serenity of everything. My phone doesn’t buzz with urgent work emails. There wasn’t another English-speaking tourist within earshot. We drank up the view from the beach, where a few feet away a Swedish couple was preparing to get married.

Everything was perfect.

The sun was still high in Stockholm when we returned, and our stomachs were rumbling. Because eating out is so expensive in Sweden, we bought meatballs and salads from the Salluhallen in Ostermalm, a fancy grocer in one of the city’s trendiest neighborhoods. Back in Kungsholmen, we devoured our purchases in Rålambshovsparken, a park so full of hipsters we might as well have been in Brooklyn (we gleaned that immediately after seeing a bocce ball setup and a run of American Apparel gear). The park also explained youth and Swedish culture. Taxes have made drinking prohibitively expensive in Sweden, so we noticed a popular summertime activity is to gather in parks like Rålambshovsparken, grill some food, crack some beers and check out the opposite sex, which made for some excellent people-watching.

With temperatures hovering near 80 degrees in Stockholm, what could be better?

On this vacation, not much.

While wandering around the mass of people hustling on and off trains, Lisa and I both remarked how Stockholm felt like a full-on metropolis. This was in comparison to Copenhagen, which feels like a more historic version of Portland, Ore.

After checking into our hotel room (thanks Marriott points!), Lisa and I set off to explore the city. We walked across the bridge to Sodermalm to find dinner, only to find out how expensive dining out really is in Sweden. So we settled on a filling plate of fried herring with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes from a cart, a food truck trend that I wish we could import to the States.

Then we set about to stroll along the cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan, the historic (albeit tourist-filled) district of Stockholm. Both of us were somewhat on-edge from traveling, so our night ended with a gelato and a few beers at the hotel. Little did we know what we were in store for tomorrow.

Lisa and I took full advantage, spending the day about the city, hanging out with friends, drinking cold beers and grilling hamburgers. About as relaxing a Saturday as one could possibly draw up.

Some other notes. For a city with no real skyline, Copenhagen is striking. My only gripe would be the weather; we often felt as if we brought the Northwest with us to Denmark … I also enjoy the simplicity of European breakfasts. Eggs, bacon and a few slices of rye bread were filling enough to start the day, or a bowl of strawberries with milk. For most Danes/Swedes, a cup of strong coffee and a sweet roll is all that’s needed.

One small programming note: This summer has moved along much faster than I thought, and there’s a lot of things going on in Seattle right now. Setting aside time to blog has been pretty hard.

###

These photos were from our second day in Copenhagen, most of which we spent cycling around the city. I can’t champion enough the ease which you can traverse the cityscape on bicycle in CPH, thanks to protected lanes, traffic lights just for cycles, and trails that weave throughout the city. At just $17 a day, renting a bike is a far more enjoyable option than the metro. Highlights included the Little Mermaid statue, the Danish Jewish Museum, the Royal Palace and the Carlsberg factory, where you can sample a special dark version of the beer not sold in the States.

Eating out in Copenhagen is not cheap, so we cruised over to Kodbyen (literally, the Danish meatpacking district) for pizza. Our ride home was marred by a cloud-bursting rain storm, but we were having so much fun on the trip it hardly seemed to matter.

A few random photos from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen is a city that prides itself on functionality. A haven for creative design & urban-planning enthusiasts, Copenhagen is a place you visit and wonder, “why can’t all cities act like this.” This is the same thoughts swirling through my head as you ride on its efficient light-rail link from the airport, cruise around the city on its endless array of bike paths or wander the ample green spaces. Copenhagen is always in the cadre of cities listed as “most livable,” and it’s easy to see why.

Everything just … works. Of course, this is all by design and dedicated planning. Copenhagen didn’t just luck into its situation.

Be back soon with more photos (I took way too many). Enjoy.

Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we had to crunch a lot of things into a few hours. Lisa and I took a walk through the magnificent High Line urban park, ate lunch at The Meatball Shop in LES, drank too much beer & wine at Marshall Stack and then met good friends for dinner of ramen and pork buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar (well worth the exhaustive hype). We capped the night with “cereal milk” soft serve from the nearby Momofuku Milk Bar, which as you can guess, tasted exactly like the leftover milk after a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

This is all a warm up, of course, to our tour de force vacation through Denmark and Sweden, with a brief stop in Iceland. We’ll be posting photos and details of our trip there when we return.

The time with the dog today reminded me of a story I read the other day about Yale Law School allowing stressed-out students to check out a “therapy pet.” Heck, just 40 minutes with Kasey helped ease some work anxiety that’s built up this week as I hustle to prep for our first crew regatta on Saturday.

***

Now that I have garden space, I plan on taking full advantage of it. So I went out this evening and bought some kale, beets, herbs, radishes and carrots from Ravenna Gardens. If nothing else, this should make for interesting blog fodder.

Cherry blossoms are out at the University of Washington. Next sunny day we get here in Seattle I’ll try and snap some pictures.