June 25, 2002 — Mudeif Productions

We headed out this morning to the National Wildlife Refuge near Muleshoe, a town an hour west of Lubbock. It was the first time any of us had been to this treasure, a place first founded in 1935 as a refuge for waterfowl. As the water level lowered, fewer of them came, but more and more sandhill cranes - who love the shallow water for wading - arrived. Each winter, this place hosts the largest concentration of sandhill cranes in the world. Twenty years ago, there were as many as a quarter of a million on any given day. This past winter, several thousand came - the environment is changing. The ephemeral lakes are getting smaller with increased water usage and frequent droughts throughout the Texas panhandle. We arrived in summer, though, and the cranes have more sense than to hang out during panhandle summers, leaving behind a landscape of salt flats, evaporated lakes, and little vegetation.

We drove off to the town of Muleshoe, chuckling at the idea of telling our friends in Zababdeh about this place, named after the foot of a donkey - two very offensive icons in the Arabic culture. Afterwards, the enticing town of Plainview beckoned. Elizabeth and her mom went dress shopping while Marthame pondered the secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood.

Once back in Lubbock, we shared in coffee with friends who are from Nazareth originally, but have been living in Lubbock for decades. Our last night in Buddy Holly's hometown was celebrated with a steak dinner - it's cattle country around here.