Three generations of Anthon

I never really knew my Dad's Dad...the first Anthon. From what I hear, he was an amazing man. He served in the FBI during World War II, then ended up being a Sociology and Criminology Professor at the University of Utah. He even taught a marriage and family relationship class to my Mom before she married my Dad. He died, however, before I could remember him.

Anthon IV, my son, has a great relationship with my Dad, which makes me very happy. It's pictures like these that I know one day will be a great memory for me and my son. It's not often that you can get three generations of Anthons together! This picture was taken at the Dodger game a few days ago.

Are You as Fast as a First Grader?

Shelley and I were ran the Paradise Canyon Fun Run, which is a 1 mile or 5k race around the neighborhoods near the school. This is something I did when I was young...back in the day when running was fun and I had all that energy to burn.

Fast forward 20+ years and I haven't worked out in, well, years. (It's because of school, really, I promise!) I thought running 1 mile wouldn't be a problem...until out of sheer pride I had to race to catch up to my niece who's in first grade. I was pushing Anthon in the job stroller and as I crossed the finish line (I won't tell you my pathetic time) I heard one of the race coordinators say, "Hey, we have our first stroller finisher." In the end, Shelley felt a certain measure of schadenfreude when I was extremely stiff and in much leg pain the next two days.

But the positives were that I didn't die, Shelley is motivated to run a 5k, my niece Anna in the first grade got third in her division and it was nice to see some old friends.

My son is, like, TOTALLY centered

Shelley snapped this photo of Anthon and his friend Charlotte doing some yoga...the downward facing dog to be precise. As much as I'd like to think that my son and his friends are THAT much more in touch with their inner being, I think they just got bored with what they were doing and decided to copy Shelley.

St. Peter's Basilica

This is the inside of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Shelley and I were here in 2005 on our trip through Germany and Italy. What I remember most about this visit was us stalking a priest to get him to bless a rosary for a friend of Shelley's family.

This shot initially didn't do much for me until I put it into sepia tone and darkened the shadows. The result was more pronounced rays of light pouring into the Cathedral which constrast nicely against the general dark tone of the rest of the image.

You can download the full image by clicking on the image.

A Trip to Disneyland, or "Why Shelley and I aren't 'Parents of the Year.'"

We recently took Anthon to Disneyland for the first time. The night before, Shelley and I were thinking we were "parents of the year," because who else would be so kind and loving as to take their 19 month old to Disneyland?

Flash forward to Saturday. I took Anthon on the Jungle Cruise and he was fine. For all you frequent guests of Disneyland or season pass holders...what legendary ride is next to the Jungle Cruise? Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean. Shelley and I thought, "You know, it's a little dark, and there ARE pirates, but who thinks Captain Jack is scary?"

Reality set in after it became pitch black and we took our first drop in the boat. Anthon started to wave his hands furiously, indicating to us that he was "all done." Then there was the crying. Instead of winning parents of the year, I'm glad our child wasn't taken away by child services, because who would be so cruel as to take their 19 month old on a scary ride?

We rebounded and did a double shot of Small World, which Anthon loved. After some food Anthon got used to the routine of getting into boats or cars that led you into dark rooms with loud noises. So all in all, we had a great day. He REALLY liked Minnie Mouse and talks about her all the time.

Click on one of the thumbnails below. The one on the left takes you to a small group of photos, while the one on the right takes you to a home video shot at Disneyland...no crying including, however!

Disneyland Photo Album

Disneyland Home Video

Update: The Cannon Family Travel Map

As many of you know, travel is important to both Shelley and me. We have an insatiable desire to see all the great places of the world. We have a travel map in our home that has pins detailing where we've been in our lives. I've tried to recreate that here with some interactivity. Click on the link to take you to the Cannon Family Travel Map.

The map uses Google Maps and overlays various icons grouped together in various themes. You can pick and choose which theme to view which could range from places we've lived in our lives to our latest trip. What you see today is just the start of what I hope will grow to be something quite interesting. Click an icon and

For more information on how to work the map, click on the link for more instructions.

Disney Hall, another angle

Another shot of Disney Hall, taken on the same day as the one below. Again, the lines of Disney Hall offer so many wonderful photographic opportunities.

You can download the full image by clicking on the image.

The St. Louis Arch

This picture was taken in December, 2006. Shelley, Anthon, Shelley's sister Rachel and I were driving back to Evansville, Indiana after attending Shelley's sister Diana's wedding. Got all that?

This was my first time to St. Louis and I couldn't leave without stopping to see the Arch. The weather was cloudy and cold, but with a little software manipulation, the shot below actually turned out OK.

You can download the full image by clicking on the image.

Dodger Game, Cotton Candy & the Taco Truck

These pictures are a week old, but they are nevertheless classic. That night, Anthon had two major firsts. At the Dodger game he had his first taste of cotton candy. And as you can see, he has a big smile on his face. He really, really liked it. The cute thing about Anthon is that he likes sharing the food he thinks is yummy. So while he ate his fair share, he enjoyed grabbing a handful and shoving it into Dad's mouth. And he's pretty persistent...like his parents, he won't give up until we eat what we feed him.

After the game, as usual, Shelley and I went to the taco truck, which is here Anthon experienced is second "first". Now I don't think I've ever explained my love for the taco truck. It's nothing more than what I've said it is. It's a truck that sells tacos, only tacos. And I'm not talking about those gross hard-shell tacos with chopped up lettuce and ground beef. No. Warm corn tortillas, carne asada, chopped onions & cilantro, lemon and salsa roja. Street tacos. Anyway, my family has been going here since I was 14. You park your car on the street and walk into a shallow parking lot in front of an auto mechanic. There is parked the taco truck at night. You stand in line for a while, get your tacos and walk back to your car and eat them on the side of the road. And it's not just any taco truck...because there are a lot of them in Pasadena. This one is on Fair Oaks, just North of California in the Nishikawa Auto Mechanic's lot.

Needless to say, it's a family tradition. Anyway, I ordered my tacos and Anthon seemed really interested in what I was eating. So I grabbed a small piece of tortilla and placed a chunk of carne asada in it for Anthon to eat. I thought he'd spit it out since he doesn't like chewy things. But he ate it down and said, "Yummy!" and wanted another bite. Yes, he is a Cannon after all!

Click on the thumbnails to see more pictures.