Patrick & Krystal Johns Eisenmann

 December 14th Wedding - Douglasville, GA

Patrick, recently graduated from Georgia Tech & the couple will be making their home in Maryland

    With Mom & Dad & Johns Family

Sis & Brother, Kara & Jesse                                      Cousin, Andrea Clark and Dad

A Magical Afternoon at Native Paths - Dec. 20, 2009

Thoughts from Wordweaver . . .

So many memories swirl through my head as I contemplate the whirlwind trip to Florida I just shared with my daughter, Van, and granddaughter, Teryn. For me, seeing all my PBT friends at the grand opening of the Keith Cabin was the highlight of the year as well as the Christmas season. You see, over the years, I've made many trips to Florida to take part in various tribal activities, but most of my time has been spent here in the Tennessee hills, working behind the scenes with Micco Bearheart and the good people of PBT helping as I can to further our mission and reach for the goals we've set before us.

To my grandchildren, the Perdido Bay Tribe and Grandma's work has been mostly an abstract idea, only vaguely comprehended. Sometime's it has felt that way to me also, but as I peruse the photos and communicate with folks to prepare my posts on the website and work on other projects, I have felt the warmth and closeness of my tribal family. From afar, I have learned from our failures and celebrated our successes.

The acquisition of our place in Jones Swamp was indeed a major milestone and I was privileged to visit early on, to feel the tranquility of the place, to imagine the possibilities, to visualize the plans, and through photos, to follow the progress in the development of Native Paths. In every photo, I feel pride in seeing the achievements of friends and fellow members - the wall hanging Eden Halil so lovingly made for Micco; the paintings of Merry Jo Graham and Maribeth Lewis; the magnificent, warmly colorful walls so carefully hand-painted by Stephen Lott and Robert Johns; Pat Easterwood's gorgeous patchwork pieces and painted feathers; the unique gourd work and pine needle baskets made by Sandra Lee; the marvelous models and pottery created by Richard Thornton; Robert and Cindy's dream catchers, and of course the art and collected artifacts of Micco Bearheart himself. In addition, I think of the numerous less obvious, but vitally important contributions of "man tasks & plain old hard work" from the men & women of the tribe and the monetary gifts of others who cannot contribute hands on.

Over the years, one value that our founder and leader has insisted upon without compromise is that we honor our ancestors by faithfully keeping a spirit of harmony and unity among our members. We are all human and sometimes this is not easy. But the result has been a community outreach born of dedication & cooperation, and a place of our own - Native Paths - that, like Keith Cabin, radiates a vibrant energy of peace and harmony so vital to us as a people and the spirit we strive to share with all.

Following our delightful day at Keith Cabin, we traveled on to Pensacola where next day Teryn enjoyed gathering shells on the beach with her Aunt Van in the morning and a visit to Native Paths and her PBT family in the afternoon. Because of Micco Bearheart's vision and leadership, and the extraordinary warmth of our tribe members, I can now say that PBT and Native Paths is no longer just an abstract idea to "Autumn Star."  Like her Grandma and Aunt Van, she proudly claims her place as a member of the tribe. She had so much fun exploring the swamp with Cedar Bear & Dancing Lark, showing off her sharp eye with the blowgun in competition with her new friend, "Bungee," singing her sweet songs for everyone and just being silly with Cedar Bear and Sun Feather.

Teryn and "Bungee"

Prize Photos of 2009

Mr. John Harper, PBT Chairman of the Board

Auburn man puts Chief's Georgia Dawg in his place

Native Paths Honored By Blue Angel Flyovers

The roar of Freedom makes us proud to be in the Blue Angel's flight path!!

Rare & Lucky Photo-op at Native Paths