It’s hard to believe the last few months went by so quickly. I’m sitting here on my last day of work at the Eldorado, and I know that the hardest part of leaving will be saying bye to my crewmates. The tough thing about field work is making friends and having to leave them. The crew depends on each other for most of our social life, and by the end of five months we’ve become a little family-cooking together, sharing food, and supporting one another. We have developed little traditions like going to the farmer’s market every Wednesday and having movie nights on Tuesdays.

While the work of collecting and preserving seeds feels important and satisfying, it’s the people that make me love the work. The silly little languages we create together, and the many days of laughter in the truck make the field season an experience and not just a job. We’re there for each other when things are tough, and we celebrate our successes together.

Spending so much time with some really special people has been a privilege and a joy. I know I’ve made some lifelong friends, and I’m excited to see where everyone’s lives take them after we depart for winter.

For my final blog of the season, I wanted to share some photos of the people that have made this summer so much better!