Lest a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles go to waste, the opportune weather provided the perfect excuse for an al fresco brunch with my friends Mike Wilson and Donnetta.

The three of us met up, moving from one shady spot to another to avoid any direct sunlight that might try to shine on Donnetta’s new neck tattoo.

As it always happens when I visit The Abbey in West Hollywood, I’m inexplicably compelled to photograph the giant, red, glass…THING that hangs over the front bar. It’s just so fascinating to me.

I always wonder what would happen to it in the case of a really bad earthquake. Also, do they ever get a chance to dust it? I can’t imagine one of the sinewy, perfectly-primped bartenders trying to climb up on the bar in their tight jeans and teen-sized tank tops with a feather duster in one hand and a bottle of Windex in the other.

At the end of the meal, Michael reminded me that it was my belated birthday brunch. It doesn’t get much better than that.