Thank you for taking action to save the David Wright House from demolition by signing our petition. Your action is an important element in demonstrating the special significance of this building and the nationwide and even worldwide concern that has been voiced about its future. You can continue to support our preservation efforts by sharing this petition with your friends, family and co-workers. We still need many more signatures in order to demonstrate the extent of interest and concern. We share these numbers with the Phoenix City Council and the media and the amount of signatures has an important impact.

We plan to update you regarding our progress to achieve landmark or historic preservation designation for the David Wright House. We will also post major developments about the David Wright House on our website.

This petition is one part of multiple actions by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and our local partners to save thisimportant building. Often our work is behind-the-scenes because we can be most effective in that way, but throughout our history the Conservancy has been instrumental in many "saves." If you are interested in helping support our mission to facilitate the preservation of ALL of Wright's built work, I would encourage you to become a member today! In addition to becoming a partner in our efforts, Conservancy members also receive:

• Subscription to SaveWright , the Conservancy's color magazine published twice a year
• Advance notification and opportunities to visit Wright-designed private spaces rarely open to the public

If you are already a member, thank you for your continued support!

With your help, we can help ensure Wright's legacy for generations to come.

Best regards,

Janet Halstead
Executive Director

A harsh winter in store I wonder?

Shrubs with an abundance of red berries, little mice searching for warm shelter in the house and enormous spiders webs are just some of the countless old wives tales that suggest a harsh winter is on its way. Some believe that nature has its own way of telling us what the weather has in store and they feel that the forecast can often be determined by the behaviour of animals and plants. Farmers, amongst others, who work the land and with animals are very familiar with these superstitions and many are passed from generation to generation. Between the covers of a new picture book published by Pont Books, A Very Berry Christmas you will find shiny red berries on a tree and the tree is covered in snow!

In this magical story by David FitzGerald and Robert Dudley, snow has been falling all over Wales and is a thick white blanket over the garden of T Penybryn, home to Mr Hedges and his dog Meg. As Mr Hedges feeds the birds and breaks the ice in the bird bowl so that they have water to drink, Meg is having a whale of a time jumping around in the snow. But the snow soon starts to fall even faster and by the following day, the roads are closed.

It just wont be the same this Christmas, said Mr Hedges sadly when he realised that he wouldnt be able to get to the shop to buy his Christmas tree this year. Having found the box of decorations in the attic, he attempts to decorate one of the trees in the garden, but despite his best efforts, it looks nothing like he had planned. But watching Mr Hedges from a branch is a robin with a red berry in his beak. Before long the sky is filled with birds and by the time the sun sets on Christmas Eve, all the birds have brought a little gift for the tree. On Christmas morning, Mr Hedges opens the curtain and a magical sight awaits him decorated with berries, holly, feathers and icicles the most beautiful tree he has ever seen. It will be A Very Berry Christmas for Mr Hedges!

This enchanting Christmas story also encourages children to notice the wildlife around them. The book contains detailed illustrations of birds such as the robin, the thrush and the blackbird, each one possessing their own unique characteristics. The RSPB encourages families to go outdoors and enjoy the fresh air, giving children the chance to learn more and appreciate nature. In a recent survey, the charity found that childrens disconnection with nature is one of the biggest threats facing the natural world and wildlife and considering the many threats that face our wildlife, it is quite a statement.

So why not go out into the garden with the children to look at the birds and see if you can name them before cuddling up inside to enjoy the heart-warming tale of Mr Hedges and his very special Christmas present?

David FitzGerald is the voice of Saturday mornings on BBC Radio Devon. He started out in radio in the early 1980s, before moving to television, reporting for Sky News. He is also an experienced writer, having scripted television favourites such as The Bill and Spitting Image. He also co-authored three highly successful, humorous stories for children with Simon Weston OBE A Nod from Nelson , Nelson to the Rescue and Nelson at Sea .

Robert Dudley is a celebrated painter and teacher, whose work reflects his love of the British landscape. He lives in Devon with his wife Sin, who is also an artist. His work has been widely exhibited across the UK, but younger readers will know him best for his work on popular CBBC show Shaun the Sheep .

A Very Berry Christmas is available from all good bookshops and online retailers.

For more information, please visit www.gomer.co.uk

The winner for this year's Left Coast Eisteddfod Lovespoon is Kathy Bushman of Milwaukie, Oregon!

Kathy is an AmeriCymru member and purchased her winning ticket at this year's Night of the Living Bards event in Portland, Oregon. "I've never won anything in my life and this is so beautiful, I can't believe it's mine! Thank you so much and thank you so much to the artists who made this!"

This is the second year for the Left Coast Eisteddfod and the Left Coast Eisteddfod Lovespoon, a custom started by artist David Western of British Columbia, who was joined this year by artist Laura Jenkins-Gorun , of Ohio. David has been a well-known lovespoon carver for many years, his work has been commissioned all over the world and appears in museum collections, including St. Fagans in Wales, he teaches carving and is the author of Fine Art of Carving Lovespoons .

We very gratefully thank David and Laura for their very great contribution to the Left Coast Eisteddfod, for their hard work and their incredible, incomparable art.

This Year's Spoon

(This article originally appeared some time ago on the Americymru blog. It is reproduced here as a brief introduction to the many delights to be found in the new Americymru library which can be accessed from the left hand column on the main page. Despite the rather flippant tone of this piece there are a number of Welsh literary classics to be found in the library and we will be adding more from time to time. )



A Bad Day At 'Goodwill'

Once more it is time to sing the praises of the 'mighty' Google. What did we ever do without them? Google Book Search has been around for a while but the recent addition of the "My Library" feature adds a whole new dimension. Basically the new feature allows you to search the database and save items to your own personal library which can be accessed online and shared with friends, family, etc. You can also review and rate the books in your collection. A typical Google ' My Library ' page looks like this .

If you followed the link I should explain that Google offers you the choice to search for 'Limited Preview' or 'Full View' titles. If you opt for the former you can only view snippets of the text but 'full view' items can be read in their entirety. Here at americymru we are, of course, mainly concerned with books about, or relating, to Wales and we thought it might be interesting to build a library of older works that can be read online in full. What we have here is a collection of dusty old relics reminiscent of a bad day in the book aisle at 'Goodwill'. Most of these volumes are long-since forgotten and with good reason. Still others are fascinating or amusing depending on your literary perspective.

"Here Be Monsters!"

As you might expect there are some prime examples of condescending and flatulent Victorian prose to be found amongst the gems in our digital reliquary. Nineteenth century preacher and author, Thomas Rees, penned his imaginatively titled "Miscellaneous Papers on Subjects Relating to Wales" in 1867. It is a masterpiece of groveling servility. Here is a quote from his article, included in this volume, on the 'working classes' of Wales:-

"The labouring classes of Wales, wherever they are to be found without any admixture of foreign elements and habits, are characterised by several very commendable qualities. As a class of people they are remarkable for their loyalty and submission to their superiors. Ever since the incorporation of " Wales with England, the loyalty of the Welsh nation to their Saxon rulers has been perfectly unswerving, notwithstanding the occasional effusions of frenzied poets and hot-headed orators against the Saxon invaders."

For more in the same vein read the rest of this ghastly tract. Whilst intending no disrespect toward its author I feel bound to say that this is an apocalyptically awful book that is sure to make you chuckle. It is best read out loud in a highly pompous and affected 'public school'* accent.

A Classic of Yesteryear

Of course rummaging in the attic is bound to bring to light some long lost cherished possessions. Who over the age of 100 can fail to remember with fond affection the classic 1907 Great Western Railways vacation guide, 'South Wales: The Country of Castles' . This volume is a treasure trove of useful advice. Witness the following on page 50 :-

"......it is impossible to ignore the fact that the use of the motor adds most materially to the possibilities of Aberystwyth as a travel-centre. Too great caution cannot possibly be exercised in the choice both of a chauffeur and a machine. If the former is a novice at local topography, he can only be a source of vexation and perplexity."


Certainly one would not wish to engage a perplexing and vexatious chauffer, but the GWR does not content itself with travellers tips , there are also passages of purple prose. On page 160 we find the following description of Tenby at sundown quoted approvingly :-

"Towards sundown a miniature fleet of trawlers sweeps gracefully around the Castle Hill, looking for all the world like a flight of brilliant butterflies ; their russet sails glowing in the warm light of the sun's declining rays with every hue from gold to ruddy purple, recalling memories of gorgeous scenes on far-away Venetian lagoons."

I was never favored with such a vision on my visits to Tenby. It is at this point that we are perhaps reminded of the fact that laudanum was not made illegal in Britain until the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920.

Bananas & Tomatoes a Speciality

Reproduced below is a small selection of charming period advertisements. One is for a Fruiterer & Florist which specialized in bananas and tomatoes and the other is for the Aberystwyth "Waterloo Hydro Hotel" which, somewhat ironically, burned to the ground in 1920.

Google says that it plans eventually to put all books into digital form and the sooner the better. At least this way you dont have to dust them! A feast of fun awaits the determined 'rummager' in Google's digital attic and for our part we look forward to unearthing and reviewing more gems for your reading pleasure in the future. Our Library can be found here .