A Sunday Birthday

Ray's at L.A. County Museum of Art

Yesterday was my happy birthday.  I'd done a bit of celebrating the week leading up to my birthday and expect to enjoy a few more lunches and dinners with friends in the weeks to follow.  So, yesterday was a leisurely and enjoyable day for the two of us.

Larry took me to lunch at Ray's at LACMA.  The food is yummy.  I like the open air ambiance of this place too.  You really feel part of the museum crowd dining, al fresco, at Ray's.  I ordered a delicious pizza....extra thin crust.  Yum.  Larry had the decadent French toast with pecans and cream, drenched in something terribly sweet.  It was almost like a bread pudding!  Yum.

Your silverware and napkin are in a drawer under the table!

Calabrian Pizza

Really rich French toast!

After brunch we toured the "Van Gogh to Kandinsky" exhibit.  Wow!  What an extensive display!  The exhibit went on for rooms and rooms.  The Expressionist period of art in Europe happens to be one of my favorites.  We stayed for quite a long time.  There were some very rare paintings that I'd never seen, even in books or magazines.

We did a quick run-through of the Calder exhibit.  I'd seen it, but Larry had not.  Then we moved over to another building to view the John Altoon show.  We sauntered into Abbot Kinney and the Story of Venice.  The historic photographs were wonderful.  A mural of Abbot Kinney, from the Venice Post Office was displayed.  He was a visionary.

Abbot Kinney of Venice, California mural

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  It was a peaceful and lovely birthday celebration.