please indulge one final post-script post to our recent santa fe trip: the beautiful chapel of our lady of light (popularly known as the loretto chapel, subject of the movie the staircase and an “unsolved mysteries” episode) is interesting and historic for oh-so many reasons…what was really appealing about it to me, though, were the finishes employed by their craftsmen as the sisters of loretto sought to glorify god out there in the wild & woolly new mexico territory…humble, affordable materials made to look like the finest available. 

among them, wood masquerading as marble

utilitarian pieces of wood painted and grained to evoke something richer

plaster standing in for stone

and sweet golden stars stenciled in the sky.

you go, sisters.