High-end groupings help patio furniture increase sales 25%

Continuous spring rains did little to dampen discounter enthusiasm for patio furniture growth in 1984 and 1985.

To strengthen this mix, Wykoff said he'll follow the step of local market competitor Meijer's Thrifty Acres and add PVC pipe groupings to next spring's assortment. He'll position glue-, rather than screw-assembled, sets in the middle of his price range of $239-$259 every day.Meanwhile, current fashion tastes have buyers concentrating sku's on bold whites, yellows and greens, with many eying pastel peach, plum and gray for 1985 assortments.He also plans to replace Finkel, which "didn't come near to meeting our orders." He'll also push other suppliers to either drop ship or consolidate their packaging into fewer boxes in order to limit possibilities of chain disbtribution center routing errors.Heck's delayed its markdowns until early August this year--a full month later than in 1983--and will start next year's outdoor season in January. Danners, which was hurt by delivery problems this year, expects to double category sales in 1985 after changing its mix of vendors and lengthening its outdoor season.Most sales activity centered in the $200 to $350 range, with recently added heavy duty PVC pipe sets a major attraction in this price segment, buyers said. Moreover, many said they would shop the Hardware Show for expanded assortments of PVC pipe, aluminum and metal "wrought-iron look" sets that could help raise top-of-the-line everyday retails to $400.Expansion PlannedDanners added a three-piece metal bistro set to its mix for promotional emphasis throughout the Christmas gift season.The weather-induced late sales start this year only made the summer rebound seem that much more impressive: Chain merchandisers reported shoppers flocking to the stores to buy high-end groupings, such as five-piece aluminum sets as costly as $500 at Bradlees.To dminish markdowns this year, Danners buyer Richard Wykoff will institute on Labor Day a fall outdoor program of shrubs and oil conditioners. "Since September and October make up the second best period to plant all year, we're hoping that customers for the planting program will buy much of our remaining lawn and garden furniture," he said.Much of Danners' seasonal furniture mix reflects "consumer demand for better grade furniture," said Wykoff. It includes Finkel seven-piece sets at $349 every day and $279 on promo; Keller five-piece at $199 daily and $179 on sales; Craft House five-piece metal wrought-iron look at $249 every day and $189-$199 on promo.Cautious steps taken by discounters venturing last year into this fashion-influenced category have given away to a veritable sprint for sales.Many buyers are projecting 25% category sales gains this year, and even more aggressive pursuit of sales starting next spring.At some chains, three-piece redwood stain sets are lagging in popularity as consumers trade up. And buyers who report continued strong sales of grid chairs this year are beginning to question how hot they'll be in their third season.

He also plans to replace Finkel, which "didn't come near to meeting our orders." He'll also push other suppliers to either drop ship or consolidate their packaging into fewer boxes in order to limit possibilities of chain disbtribution center routing errors.

At last: the croquet set that won't trip you at dusk

Seeing well enough to play croquet at dusk is no problem with these homemade wickets. Their white PVC pipe legs stand out much more clearly than their thin wire counterparts.

Designed by William Stanley of Buellton, California, the simple, lightweight wickets and end posts can be built in just a few hours. To make complete set of nine wickets and two posts, you'll need two 10-foot lengths of 3/4-inch schedule 125 PVC pipe, 8 feet of 2-by2 redwood or fir, 20 galvanized gutter spikes 7 inches long, 6 feet of 3/4-inch hardwood dowel, a box of brads, and epoxy glue. Materials will run about $15 to $20.Glue the longer dowel pieces into the 2-by-2 tops, then glue on the piping. Add the short dowels with gutter spikes to the bottom of each pipe. To further lock the pipe and dowels in position, add the brads where indicated (predrill small holes to prevent cracking).Using a hacksaw, cut the PVC pipe into 18 pieces 11 inches long and two pieces 18 inches long. (You can remove any lettering on outside with acetone or by lightly sanding.) Check that the dowel fits into the pipe; sand the wood down if necessary, then cut the dowel into 20 pieces 2 inches long and 20 pieces 1 inch long. Hold the 1-inch pieces with pliers and drill holes through their centers so that gutter spikes will pass through snugly. Glue the spikes in position, with heads flush.Just for the fun of it, Mr. STanley added decorative tops to the 18-inch-high end posts. The rooster shown above was cut from 3/4-inch pine. Its comb, wattles, and tail were cut from 1/4-inch plywood, the feet carved from scrap wood. The legs are short pieces of 1/4-inch dowel covered with a plastic drinking straw. One leg dowel extends down from the body into a 3/4-inch dowel in the end post.

Just for the fun of it, Mr. STanley added decorative tops to the 18-inch-high end posts. The rooster shown above was cut from 3/4-inch pine. Its comb, wattles, and tail were cut from 1/4-inch plywood, the feet carved from scrap wood. The legs are short pieces of 1/4-inch dowel covered with a plastic drinking straw. One leg dowel extends down from the body into a 3/4-inch dowel in the end post.

Detrex Corporation Reports Results for 2009

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- Detrex Corporation (Pink Sheets: DTRX), a diversified manufacturer of PVC and CPVC pipe, duct and shapes and specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, today announced results for 2009.

During 2009 the company spent $4.1 million on environmental remediation projects. Several of these projects are complete or nearing completion while others are in the early phases of corrective action. The previously mentioned charge of $3.9 million was made at the end of 2009 to increase the environmental reserve to $5.3 million. As the result of the Chrysler LLC bankruptcy, two sites have become liabilities again after having been settled nearly twenty years ago. The additional environmental charges are related to new developments at existing sites and the formerly closed projects and cost increases for changed conditions. The company expects to spend $2.1 million in 2010 on environmental matters.The company utilized cash flow from working capital management and an increase in net borrowings of $1.2 million in 2009 to fund $4.1 million in environmental expenditures, $1.0 million in pension and retiree health funding, $1.2 million in capital expenditures and other business needs. In June of 2009 the company’s bank, JP Morgan Chase NA, waived the company’s default with certain of its debt covenants; the agreement was subsequently amended in November. At this time the facility provides for a term loan and revolving credit facility totaling approximately $20 million. This facility has a term that expires in January of 2011.The unfunded status of the company’s pension plan decreased to $10.6 million in 2009 from $15.7 million in 2008. This reduction was the result of gains in the investment portfolios, freezing of the plans so that active employees no longer accrue additional benefits and contributions to the plans. The company also terminated its post retirement benefit plan which resulted in a reduction of this liability to $0.2 million from $1.6 million. Partially offsetting these balance sheet improvements was a $1.6 million reduction in the value of the piece of property that has been held for sale since 2001.The company had a net loss of $2,963,752 or ($1.85) per fully diluted share, for the full year of 2009 compared to net income of $887,915, or $0.56 per fully diluted share, in 2008. Earnings in both years were impacted significantly by several non-operating adjustments. The 2008 results include pre-tax environmental charges of $1,250,000, of which $300,000 was in continuing operations and $950,000 was in discontinued operations. In 2009, total pre-tax charges of $3,758,467 were made including the following: 1) a $3,900,000 environmental charge, of which $1,600,000 was in continuing operations and $2,300,000 was in discontinued operations; 2) a $1,618,818 charge to write down property held for sale in order to recognize the impact of severely depressed real estate values in the Detroit market; and 3) an offsetting gain of $1,760,351 recognized due to a post-retirement benefit plan termination. The approximate total after-tax effect of these non-operating adjustments for 2009 was to reduce earnings by $2,470,000.The combined sales of the company’s two business units – The Elco Corporation and Harvel Plastics, Inc. – totaled $74.5 million in 2009 compared to $98.6 million in 2008. The decline in sales was the result of the sharp fall-off in demand that began in the fourth quarter of 2008 and continued into 2009. While market conditions began to stabilize late in the first quarter of 2009, business activity remained at a low level throughout the year at Harvel while showing some improvement at Elco. In response to the economic conditions, actions were taken across the company to reduce costs and expense. In addition to general cost reduction measures, these actions included freezing of the pension plans, elimination of the 401-k match, officer salary reductions, headcount reductions and pay freezes at all operating locations. The effects of these actions phased in as the year progressed and in combination with measures to improve market penetration resulted in steady improvements in operating performance in the third and fourth quarters. In the fourth quarter, profits from operations were positive prior to non-operating adjustments.Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “1995 Act”). The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “guidance,” “target” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Certain risks and uncertainties are identified from time to time in the Company’s reports. Some factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include: market conditions, environmental remediation costs, pension expense and funding requirements, liquidation value of assets, and marketability of real estate and the market value and future liquidity of Detrex stock. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the 1995 Act.[Table Omitted]

[Table Omitted]

Fish assemblages associated with three types of artificial reefs: density of assemblages and possible impacts on adjacent fish abundance

Abstract--We evaluated the effectiveness of wooden artificial reefs (ARs) as fish habitat. Three types of ARs, made of cedar logs, broadleaf tree logs, and PVC pipes, respectively, were deployed in triplicate at 8-m depth off Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, Sea of Japan, in May 2004. Fish assemblages associated with each of the nine ARs were observed by using SCUBA twice a month for four years. Fish assemblages in the adjacent habitat were also monitored for two years before and four years after reef deployment. In the surveyed areas (ca. 10 [m.sup.2]) associated with each of the cedar, broadleaf, and PVC ARs, the average number of fish species was 4.14, 3.49, and 3.00, and the average number of individuals was 40.7, 27.9, and 20.3, respectively. The estimated biomass was also more greater when associated with the cedar ARs than with other ARs. Visual censuses of the habitat adjacent to the ARs revealed that the number of fish species and the density of individuals were not affected by the deployment of the ARs. Our results support the superiority of cedar as an AR material and indicate that deployment of wooden ARs causes no reduction of fish abundance in adjacent natural reefs.

The primary goal of the present study was to confirm the efficacy of wooden ARs, especially those made of cedar tree logs as fish habitat. For this purpose, fish assemblages associated with ARs made from cedar trees were compared to those made from broadleaf trees and those made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. There is a debate whether ARs merely attract fishes from adjacent areas or whether they do improve fishery productivity (Grossman et al., 1997; Pickering and Whitmarsh, 1997). We therefore tested the possibility that ARs attract fishes from adjacent areas and thus concentrate fish abundance at the ARs, rather than fish abundance is spread over the fishing ground as a whole. A visual census had been conducted twice a month for more than two years before the deployment of these ARs in adjacent areas; hence the fish fauna was compared in the area before and after the deployment of ARs.The recent trend for ARs in Japan has shifted from concrete to wooden construction. This has been partly due to funding shortages, but also because fishermen have found that wooden ARs attract fish more rapidly than those made of concrete or steel. Indeed, most coastal prefectures in Japan deploy wooden ARs with or without governmental subsidies under the supervision of local fishermen's cooperatives. The materials and shape of wooden ARs differ depending on each fishery cooperative. As much as 70% of the land area in Japan is forested, half of which is plantation forests of conifers, such as Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa). Although these forests require occasional thinning, many of them lack such maintenance because of the decline in the market price of timber. Therefore, the construction of wooden ARs also has the socioeconomic potential to stimulate the demand for forestry materials.Twice monthly visual censuses of fish assemblages associated with each AR were conducted for four consecutive years after AR deployment. All census observations were made by the first author with SCUBA equipment. The area in and around each AR was observed for about three minutes and the species, size, and number of fish were recorded. A census commenced from one of the lateral sides of an AR and extended out to about 1 m from each side. The observer then swam around and above the AR, and the fish inside the AR were recorded. Fish were considered as associating with an AR if they were swimming or dwelling within 1 m of the AR (Sherman et al., 2002), and thus fish in an area of about 10 [m.sup.2] were counted for each AR. Fish standard length (SL) was estimated with the help of a scale marked on a clipboard and was recorded. Length estimates were occasionally calibrated by capturing and measuring fish. These calibrations revealed that visual SL estimates were within 10% error of the actual measured SL. Water temperature and visibility during observations ranged from 10.1[degrees] to 28.8[degrees]C and from 1 to 5 m, respectively. Biomass calculation for each AR was conducted according to the method of Santos et al. (2005) and Friedlander et al. (2007). The estimated average length of each species for each sample was converted to mass by using the length-mass relationshipThese three types of ARs were constructed in triplicate and deployed at a depth of 8 m off the Maizuru Fisheries Research Station (MFRS), Nagahama, Maizuru, Kyoto (35[degrees]29'N lat. and 135[degrees]22'E long.) on 21 May 2004 (Fig. 2). The shore in this area is a concrete bank and its subtidal zone consists of natural rocks, concrete blocks, both partly covered by live oyster (Crassostrea gigas) and their dead shells, and sandy silt with some macroalgal vegetation. The substrate in the research area consisted of muddy silt with no macroalgae vegetation. Each AR was sunk with 240 kg of sand bags (60 kg attached to each corner of the AR). ARs were set 15 m apart.**********Although the deployment of structures functioning as ARs may well have started long ago by fishermen in various localities around the globe, research on this subject is relatively recent (Seaman and Sprague, 1991). Two countries, United States and Japan, have relatively long histories of nationwide projects on ARs. In the case of the United States, the main goal of deploying ARs has been to improve catch for recreational fishermen. Common materials used for these ARs have been waste products, such as automobiles, tires, and oil and gas platforms. The use of such products has caused environmental concerns, resulting in a shift toward the construction of ARs with concrete (Collins et al., 2002). In contrast, the purpose of Japanese deployments of ARs have primarily been to improve commercial fishery production, and governmental agencies have invested heavily in the construction of large ARs made of concrete and steel to be deployed in coastal areas.[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]Three types of ARs were prepared. The design of the ARs was modified from that designed by the Atake Forestry Association, Yamaguchi, Japan (http://www.geocities.jp/ abu_kikori/katsudou/gyosyou/gyosyou2.html, accessed on December 2003; also see Fig. 1). The first type of AR (cedar AR) was constructed of 16 log sections (1.5 m long, 6.9-18.4 cm diameter) of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) arranged in a parallel cross formation. Each corner was tied with rope and fixed with a stainless steel rod. Diagonal wires helped maintain the rectangular shape. The second type of AR (broadleaf AR) was constructed from six species of broadleaf trees harvested from the Ashiu Forest Research Station, Kyoto University, and assembled with the same dimensions as those used for the cedar AR. The broadleaf tree species used were Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa), hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora), Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), Chinese chestnut (Castanea crenata), redvein maple (Acer rufinerve), and macropoda holly (Ilex macropoda). The diameter of broadleaf and cedar logs ranged from 7.5 to 19.2 cm. The third type of AR (PVC AR) was made of hollow PVC pipes (11.8 cm diameter, 3 mm thickness) and was assembled in the same manner as that used for the other two types of ARs.Materials and methodsHabitat complexity plays a major role in the survival of young demersal fishes by providing a refuge from predation (Ferreira et al., 2001; Scharf et al., 2006; Hamilton and Konar, 2007). Fish species richness is highly dependent on the rugosity and variety of growth forms in the habitat, whereas the height of vertical structures is an important predictor of total fish abundance (Gratwicke and Speight, 2005). In this respect, artificial reefs (ARs) are often deployed to improve the quality of habitat (Gorham and Alevizon, 1989). In addition to their role as refuges, ARs host encrusting invertebrates that can be consumed as prey by fishes (Seaman and Jensen, 2000). Fish are often more abundant at ARs than at natural reefs, probably because the vertical structures potentially allow more varied refuges for fish settlement and recruitment than the usual more moderately sloped bottoms of natural reefs (Rilov and Benayahu, 2000; Reed et al., 2006).

Twice monthly visual censuses of fish assemblages associated with each AR were conducted for four consecutive years after AR deployment. All census observations were made by the first author with SCUBA equipment. The area in and around each AR was observed for about three minutes and the species, size, and number of fish were recorded. A census commenced from one of the lateral sides of an AR and extended out to about 1 m from each side. The observer then swam around and above the AR, and the fish inside the AR were recorded. Fish were considered as associating with an AR if they were swimming or dwelling within 1 m of the AR (Sherman et al., 2002), and thus fish in an area of about 10 [m.sup.2] were counted for each AR. Fish standard length (SL) was estimated with the help of a scale marked on a clipboard and was recorded. Length estimates were occasionally calibrated by capturing and measuring fish. These calibrations revealed that visual SL estimates were within 10% error of the actual measured SL. Water temperature and visibility during observations ranged from 10.1[degrees] to 28.8[degrees]C and from 1 to 5 m, respectively. Biomass calculation for each AR was conducted according to the method of Santos et al. (2005) and Friedlander et al. (2007). The estimated average length of each species for each sample was converted to mass by using the length-mass relationship

DIGITAL ABORIGINAL

AN ELECTRONIC DIDGERIDOO GIVES TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN MUSIC A NEW SPIN

-GREGORY MONEyou built what ?!Kyle Evans, a 24-yearold artist, bought his first didgeridoo in a small shop in Cairns, Australia, three years ago. The owner helped him pick out one of his handmade Aboriginal instruments, and after Evans taught himself to play, he decided to build an enhanced version: an electronically modified, Bluetooth-enhanced PVC pipe that cranks out didgeridoo-like sound with added digital flourishes.When Evans plays, he blows through a beeswax-coated mouthpiece on one end, as with a traditional didgeridoo, and a wireless microphone positioned inside the far end relays the sound to his computer, which outputs sound to a speaker. At the same time, he can adjust the knobs, wirelessly signaling his computer to modulate the notes. He's thinking of recording original music for it and has performed with it at some small venues. But the one audience he really wants to play it for are the Aboriginal people whose instrument inspired his invention.

-GREGORY MONE

Pipe in road sparks Widefield bomb scare

A man found what appeared to be a pipe bomb on a neighborhood street in the Widefield area, El Paso County sheriff's deputies said.

The El Paso County sheriff's explosive ordnance disposal team planned to detonate the object to ensure it wasn't a threat. It was not detonated, but the team did destroy it with a water cannon and made sure it was totally disabled, Sevene said.The man, who found the pipe about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, brought it into his garage. He grew suspicious upon a closer examination and called 9-1-1 for help, sheriff's Lt. Lari Sevene said.

The El Paso County sheriff's explosive ordnance disposal team planned to detonate the object to ensure it wasn't a threat. It was not detonated, but the team did destroy it with a water cannon and made sure it was totally disabled, Sevene said.

Holy ground: in Rome, all paths lead to history

I recently traveled to Rome with Mary, Our Lady of Light. I sat in coach, she in a plastic PVC pipe in the overhead compartment. She was painted on a piece of rolled-up canvas and I was accompanying her to her new home in the chapel of my religious community's headquarters. Mary, under that somewhat obscure but lovely title, is the patron of my community, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, and I had been commissioned to create an image of her, which I was now delivering.

Our community's house is beautifully situated in Trastevere, one of the most ancient and interesting of Roman neighborhoods. It is halfway up the highest of the city's seven hills, called the Janiculum. When you look down from this hill, you get a stunning panorama of the Eternal City. The toughest decision I faced each morning, after descending the thirty-three steps from the front door of our house to the street, was whether to turn left and climb to the top of the Janiculum, where there's a magnificent Baroque fountain, or turn right, downhill, and walk around Trastevere. The heart of Trastevere is the ancient Basilica di Santa Maria, one of the oldest parishes in the Christian world, renowned for its stunning mosaics. Whichever way I decided to turn, a treasure hunt awaited me--as did a very steep climb, either coming or going. And, since this was August in Rome, a steep climb had to be finished by noon: after that, things get a little toasty under the Roman sun, which revolves around the earth, as decreed by popes of yore.On October 16, 1943, in the square just outside this church, one thousand Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps, from which only sixteen returned. I stood and sketched in this spot, trying to take it all in: the church, the synagogue, the faded Crucifixion with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. I tried to imagine the mayhem on that awful autumn morning. I also tried to picture Blessed Pope John there, praying for peace in the back of his limousine on a moonlit night just fifteen years later. And later still, John Paul II praying there with the head rabbi of Rome. I knew I was on holy ground; my pen couldn't move fast enough across the pages of my sketchbook.Beneath the synagogue is a museum with artifacts such as liturgical objects and furniture, along with a lot of historical information. I read about Pope Paul IV (1555-59), who built a wall around the ghetto and forced Jews to wear silly yellow hats on the streets. Later, I discovered that he also stepped up the Inquisition, called Ignatius of Loyola a heretic, waged war on Spain, and stopped the Council of Trent because it was too progressive.As I waited to walk through the huge bronze doors, I wondered if I would have the same reaction I had the first time I entered St. Peter's Basilica twenty-five years ago. Then, my breath was taken away by the sheer size of it all--height, width, and depth on a scale difficult to describe. The little baby cherubs holding up the holy water fonts at the entrance are six feet tall. I was slack-jawed and breathless that first time, too overwhelmed to do much drawing.It was sublime. I had five days to do nothing but wander and sketch, with only two things on my must-do list: a walk up and over the Janiculum to Saint Peter's, which I'd already visited several times over the years; and a tour of the Jewish ghetto, just across the Tiber from Trastevere. It had been calling to me ever since I read about the renowned Roman Jewish fried artichokes in the travel section of the paper years ago. My desire for new and interesting food (and cold beer) outweighed my desire to see more Baroque angels swirling around yet another dome. When you've been to one Counter-Reformation church you've been to them all.What moved me the most that morning was what I saw next: the tiny church of San Gregorio delta Divina Pieta (heavenly mercy), which is situated right at the entrance to the ghetto, alongside the synagogue. Over the centuries, Jews were forced to go to St. Gregory's for conversion classes on Thursday evenings, the night before their Sabbath. On its facade is a faded eighteenth-century mural of the Crucifixion by Stefano Parrocel. Over the door, in Latin and Hebrew, is an inscription from the prophet Isaiah. It reads: "I stretch out my hands all the day to a rebellious people who walk in evil paths and follow their own thoughts."So, on my first full morning I decided to get the churchy thing out of the way and turned left to make a pilgrim walk to San Pietro. And a true pilgrimage it was--as evidenced by the sweat pouring from me. (Have I mentioned how hot it was?)The Roman Catholic schoolboy in me was eager to bask in the power and glory of the ever-ancient, ever-new universal church; the artist in me wanted to savor and sketch the magnificent art and architecture; and the American in me came really close to calling an air-conditioned cab but restrained himself. Pilgrimages are supposed to be irksome.This time, not so much. My sketch of Michelangelo's Pieta, which is just on the right as you enter the basilica, pretty much captures what a different experience this trip was. It occurred to me that perhaps I've become harder to impress over time. After you pass the Pieta, to which I couldn't get very close because of the crowd, there aren't very many images of Jesus to ponder--or of Mary, for that matter. But there are plenty of symbols of the kingdom, the power, and the glory of Rome. It's all Barberinis and Borgheses, Bramantes and Berninis. Papal tombs and monuments fill the side aisles and altars.The next day I went in the opposite direction: downhill, through Trastevere and across the Tiber to the old Jewish ghetto of Rome. My first stop was the synagogue, a most unusual building that features the only square dome in the city, an intentional contrast to all the round domes of the churches that dot the skyline. It was here that John XXIII asked his driver to bring him the first night he was elected pope. Sitting silently in the back seat of his limousine, he prayed for a while, and then went home. It was also here, a generation later, that John Paul II became the first pope in history to pray in a synagogue (sticklers might say the second pope, after Peter). These two great modern popes, each a survivor of WWII, each a witness to the Shoah, were passionate about healing our relations with the Jews after two millennia of hostilities.Admittedly, a part of me felt a tinge of excitement at being a baptized part of this splendid display of human achievement and imagination. But I didn't feel any holier. Nor was I aware of holy ground beneath my feet. And my pen wasn't gliding across the pages of my sketchbook as much as I'd hoped it would. I was left with no heightened awareness of God to contemplate on the way home. Other than a few reflections on how my faith has apparently evolved over the years, I was more concerned about making it to the house in time for dinner, and about whether I'd left the air conditioner on in my room. Please, God, let it be so.St. Peter's Basilica can hold sixty thousand people, and I think they were all there that morning. The line to enter, which snaked halfway around the piazza, moved slowly. There we were, people of every race and tongue gathered from the four corners of the earth. The more intelligent ones (not I) had umbrellas, as only the morbidly thin (again, not I) could find relief in the teeny sliver of shade cast by the ancient Egyptian obelisk in the middle of the square. We all patiently wended our way toward the metal detectors.A mammoth marble Gregory XIII spilled into my path as I made my way to visit John XXIII. The irony didn't escape me--this tripping over the elaborate marble train of a prince's robes on my way to see the tomb of a proud peasant papa. I made a note to myself to look into this Gregory XIII and see what he had done to merit such a memorial.

On October 16, 1943, in the square just outside this church, one thousand Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps, from which only sixteen returned. I stood and sketched in this spot, trying to take it all in: the church, the synagogue, the faded Crucifixion with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. I tried to imagine the mayhem on that awful autumn morning. I also tried to picture Blessed Pope John there, praying for peace in the back of his limousine on a moonlit night just fifteen years later. And later still, John Paul II praying there with the head rabbi of Rome. I knew I was on holy ground; my pen couldn't move fast enough across the pages of my sketchbook.