I was checking the weather forecast for Oahu daily in the weeks leading up to our trip. April was pretty wet on the islands, but the skies cleared just before we arrived and we've been pretty spoiled for weather during our stay. On a lone gloomy day we headed away from the beach to the Valley of the Temples to dodge the raindrops and explore Byodo-In Temple. Unlike most of the places we went in Oahu, this was a first for me. I saw pictures of the temple set against the dramatic backdrop of the Ko'olau Mountains (which were very misty during our visit) and my mother had been years ago and said it was a beautiful place to walk around. The early morning visit and rain meant the grounds weren't too crowded, but didn't affect the hundreds of koi fish or elegant black swans swimming around in the least. There were even wild chickens running around behind the temple--hardly surprising since there are wild chickens all over the island. We even had a wild chicken hop into our car one day when we were parked! I hadn't packed this Family Affairs dress with the temple in mind, but the red was a perfect match for the Buddhist temple. I have this same dress (the Paris dress) in white from last autumn and this spring she released this dreamy red version and a gorgeous madras print as well. I love this style so much, I'm tempted to get the madras print as well. The dress traveled beautifully as well; I didn't have to iron it after unpacking! I love classic dresses like that this that you can throw on with a few simple accessories and feel very elegant in--even if you're getting a bit frizzy in the rain!
CONVERSATION