Nearfest Caught on Satellite?

[KD1SH]

   Looking at the current satellite image of the Deerfield Fairgrounds; zooming in I can see vehicles, trailers and people.  Many of the vehicles have tables set up beside them, some with what appear to be tarps and awnings. Many Nearfest regulars set up in the exact same place year after year, and many of these vehicles, trailers, and tables that I'm seeing in the satellite image are set up exactly where I'd expect them to be during Nearfest.
   Not a whole lot of vehicles and people, though, so I'm figuring this might be sometime around 2:00 PM or so, on a Saturday, when many have already left.  Visible shadows would tend to agree. The Fairgrounds, of course, are used for many events, but this sure looks like Nearfest to me.

[Carl WA1KPD]

Was'nt there cloud cover this fall?
If you are refering to Google Earth, it sure looks vacant for NF

[KD1SH]

  Not "Google Earth" - just the regular Google Maps; clicking the "image" instead of "map".  While the image says 2019, I don't think that necessarily indicates the true date of the image. That same image has been up since way before the fall 'fester. Like you say, pretty vacant, but if it were Saturday afternoon, most would be gone. The position of some of those tables and campers strikes me. From the big central intersection, where the big fake rock sits, take the road straight west, passing between the two silver buildings. Right ahead of you will be a large camp trailer, with tables lined up in front of it.  That's exactly where Gerry, K1GUP, parks his trailer, and this one looks to be the right size.  Bought the B&W 5100B from him, right at that spot. And look further north, just south of the "AM Corral" - there are what looks like vans and trailers, and something that looks very much like an olive-drab military vehicle, which often would be there in that area at Nearfest. Maybe I'm just imagining things, and it's not really relevant to much of anything, anyway, but I just thought it was cool that Google's satellite might have caught some Nearfest action.

Was'nt there cloud cover this fall?
If you are refering to Google Earth, it sure looks vacant for NF

[AJ1G]

This was definitely taken during Nearfest!  I can see my brown Tacoma 4X4 parked along the road parallel to the fenced in lawn just north of where the mil rad gang sets up, right near Dale, KW1I's military radio truck.  Based on the lack of significant tree foliage except for the evergreens, the image was most likely taken late during the afternoon hours of Saturday during this past May's Nearfest when very few people were still left on site, perhaps shortly after the grand prize drawing, there appear to be a fair number of people still hanging around the stage area.  We did have some clearing off last month on Saturday, and I do remember it being sunny during the grand prize drawing then, but I would think the surrounding foliage would look more colorful and fall-like than bare tree early spring like.  My truck was at the same spot at both the spring and fall fests this year, Dale's truck is usually in about the same position each time also.  Can't zoom the pix enough to see what is in the back of my truck, it looks tarped over, which it how it would appear just prior to me leaving on Saturday either in May or October of this year.  If you zoom out and look just to the west of the fairgrounds, the image sharply transitions to full dark green foliage from an image acquired apparently during a summer morning, judging by the different direction of the tree shadows which are to the west northwest of their respective  fully leafed out trees. The tree shadows of the fairgrounds image lie to the northeast of their respective trees, and are very thin due to lack of foliage.   This is very evident at the image transition where on Route 43 there is a pushpin for Deerfield Gardens.  There is a also sparkling blue aqua pool evident there, whereas the pools showing in the fairgrounds image are all still covered over as they would likely be in early May.

[KD1SH]

   Darn shame it didn't catch the 'fester at full flood. I remember all the places I've set up in the last few years, so I'd probably spot my truck and table.
   I'm recognizing a few other vendors: the guys who sell those sections of aluminum and fiberglass mast and rolls of steel cable; the guys set up on the corner with the lineup of red or orange plastic bins full of parts; a guy with a trailer down in the lower-lot who often has a bunch of older test equipment.
   Funny - I've been going to Nearfest, and Hoss-traders before that, for so long that I can look at that satellite image and remember almost everything I've bought there and exactly where I found it.  Man - it's making me long for spring already!

[kd3ht]

Looking at the view, don’t believe this was this year. 
Mainly because it looks like Larry’s motor home parked next to the telephone pole.   
 Pretty sure Will K1gww Mercedes wagon, then Brown W1nzr ambulance with the table in front of it, then dale’s ambulance.   
Suspect its Jim’s truck along fence by bathroom.

[AJ1G]

I agree with Steve KD3HT’s photogrammetric analysis.  Larry, N1PHV, of Weare, NH, went SK on July 17,2018.  He was at the May 2018 Nearfest with his big RV, and Brown W1NZR had a then recently acquired ex-military ambulance that was painted civilian white from its most recent service, and that’s his table between the ambulance and the road.  My Tacoma was on the same spot parallel parked between the roadway and the fenced in garden back in May 2018 also.  So that plus the lack of leaves on the hardwood trees, seems to confirm the image date as May 2018.

We always would hang out, warm up, and shoot the breeze in Larry’s RV, especially while having an awesome pasta dinner that Larry would cook for us on Friday nights on a GI field kitchen.  In previous years he would also cook up what Brown would call St. Alphonso’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning.  The burners on the field kitchen sounded like a jet plane preparing for takeoff! I believe he made the pasta dinner in May 2018, which turned out to be his last Nearfest.  I remember talking with him about his health issues then, and he appeared to be very upbeat and positive.  But a couple of times I noticed he was very quiet and had a faraway look in his eyes, maybe he knew more than he wanted to let on. I was shocked to hear of his passing about two months later.

I wonder if more than random fate had something to do with the Nearfest image showing up on Google Maps.  Maybe someone at Google Maps slipped us hams an Easter egg.  It’s not clear why they would drop an early spring image into otherwise lush green surrounding summer images, unless they wanted to have a good view of the fairground without a lot of it being hidden by foliage.

[steve_qix]

Where are you getting the images ?

[Steve - K4HX]

KD1SH:

Not "Google Earth" - just the regular Google Maps; clicking the "image" instead of "map".

[W1DAN]

Folks:

This may be the image:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fairgrounds,+Deerfield,+NH+03037/@43.1002929,-71.2453308,117m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e25eff1416822b:0xfcddf0b9ba3a1d4c!8m2!3d43.0997502!4d-71.242624

Dan

[AJ1G]

It is indeed the image Dan! 

[KD1SH]

   Apologies for being vague; thinking back on it now I should have posted a link straight off, or at least made it clear that I was talking about Google Maps.  In any event, I wish the image had been taken a few hours earlier in the day.

[Opcom]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fairgrounds,+Deerfield,+NH+03037/@43.1002929,-71.2453308,117m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e25eff1416822b:0xfcddf0b9ba3a1d4c!8m2!3d43.0997502!4d-71.242624

What is missing?

[KD1SH]

I haven't been able to find Waldo anywhere.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fairgrounds,+Deerfield,+NH+03037/@43.1002929,-71.2453308,117m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e25eff1416822b:0xfcddf0b9ba3a1d4c!8m2!3d43.0997502!4d-71.242624

What is missing?