“Somewhere On Google Earth, My Grandfather And I Planted This Oak Tree When I Was Eleven”

Many people use Google Maps and Google Earth to find their way around the globe, but did you know that these tools can also be used to travel through time? One social media challenge has users scouring these programs for old pictures of the homes where they grew up. Sometimes, these Street View images wind up unintentionally preserving a special memory! For example, when this woman participated in the “Google Earth trend,” she found something that reminded her of a beautiful moment she shared with her grandpa.

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In a heartwarming slideshow on social media, this person posted a series of photos showing a spindly young oak tree growing up into a big, majestic one. She explained that her grandfather had helped her plant that tree in the yard when she was 11 years old. Thanks to her trying the Google Earth trend, she now had a “time-lapse” of the sapling maturing over the years.

“Somewhere on Google Earth, my grandfather and I planted this oak tree when I was 11,” the woman wrote over the first picture.

In her caption, she added, “Thankful to see this time lapse of the oak tree.”

According to Know Your Meme, the Google Earth trend began when a user called @bladehall discovered a picture of himself washing his car at age 17 using Street View. This photo made him feel very nostalgic!

“And somewhere on Google Earth I’m still 17,” he wrote in his social media post. “It’s summer, I’m back in my childhood neighborhood. Zero worries.”

Know Your Meme explains how to replicate the Google Earth trend. All you have to do is find your childhood home on Google Earth or Google Maps, then use Street View to see pictures of it. Since many of these images were shot years ago, lots of people have found pieces of their past preserved in them. Google Maps also lets users view even older photos from previous updates. Because of this, Know Your Meme claims that this program works better with the social media trend. However, Google Earth also appears to offer a similar feature.

Some people have had deeply emotional experiences while trying the Google Earth trend. In one post, a woman found her dog standing in the doorway of her old house. Judging from her tearful reaction to the picture, we’re assuming that this precious pooch is no longer with us. However, the beloved pup lives on in this perfectly preserved Street View photo!

We definitely recommend trying the Google Earth trend for yourself. However, be prepared to get hit with a wave of nostalgia!

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.