Hey MC, I'm digging that old GM franchise avatar! Neat old GM sign.

oshawacliff wrote:

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Cliff

 

 

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 That is a great recount of building the family homestead yourselves back in the early 50s. We have a similar story growing up in Ancaster. I know there were pictures somewhere, but after the folks moved into assisted living for a few years, eventually passing on, the whereabouts of the photos are in question. Hopefully they didn't get tossed. Dad had a Model A (embarrassing to drive circa 1955 if it wasn't a rod), plus I did see a picture of dad's new 1957 Plymouth Savoy in the driveway of that house. I came home from the hospital as a newborn in dad's new 1961 Biscayne.

Dad and his father built the 2nd house to appear in Ancaster Heights back around 1951~52. This was after dad graduated from U of T in 1950. At that time the Heights was an apple orchard. Highway 2 (The King's Highway) had been straightened somewhat (landfill cut off Mill Street between Henry Lane & Old Dundas). Dad and his father spent a year building the house themselves (working in wintertime was grueling). His father would look at the plans then start cutting lumber and handing it up to my dad. Dad said that each joist fit perfectly, and a 90 degree corner was exactly that. It was simple, modest house that was very well built. When we moved out from there in 1970 it still had the original roof in good shape. I still remember the barn on Henry Lane that sort of fell down in the 1970s (there were a few old derelict late 50s Virgil Exner Chryslers on the farmlands). We had a dam a little ways to the east and a pond full of frogs & salamanders to the west. The dam was also a private driveway that led to the secluded residence of Dr. Banting (his dad discovered penicillin re: Banting & Best). Through the thick woods out back was General Mewburn's homestead. In 1969 the Firestones built what at the time we considered a mansion adjacent to the Mewburn property. As kids we were free to roam and the neighbors were trusted and could discipline us as they saw fit. Just be home for dinner.

Circa 1968 photo with dad's 66 Biscayne in view:

As it appears today:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.2364568,-79.9633208,3a,75y,186.05h,90.57t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syNeSLFcQlZTIG7S5Zoo3KQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DyNeSLFcQlZTIG7S5Zoo3KQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D191.46318%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Friday 9th of June 2017 04:49:34 PM

...San Bernardino, Calif 1956

Glenrio, Texas....Route 66.......68 Catalina

https://neverquitelost.com/2017/06/17/the-glenrio-pontiac/

-- Edited by bjburnout on Sunday 2nd of July 2017 08:28:27 AM

-- Edited by bjburnout on Sunday 2nd of July 2017 08:29:17 AM

Are you sure this isn't Central Chev in London?

Wow. I didn't know there were two GM dealers in Ontario called Central.

Toronto (Scarboro) 1959

Victoria Park and Surrey......I lived about two blocks from here (1965 - 1968) and know the plaza and restaurant well.

There was a Sunoco station on the adjacent corner and the famous Supertest with George's Ford was about two blocks away

in 1964.

Not much has changed today except VP (Victoria Park) is a whole lot busier..........arrrrgh!

-- Edited by bjburnout on Monday 31st of July 2017 08:58:32 AM

ABC123 wrote:

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Still going through my late mother's photos.

I'm looking for my Grande in The Original Gold,

Found this, from Early 1985

 

......early 85???........it appears to have a 1969 or 1971 plate......am I missing something here??
 

 

 

........cool.......I do the same on our Beaumont, have a set of 67 plates that I cannot register so I just put them on at shows,

you can see it in the avatar

very rare !

Nice  picture, Mark! It appears to be Main & Gage. I remember riding those very Canada Coach GM fishbowl buses; they were manual transmission equipped. I'm loving that '66 Canso Sport Deluxe with D99 moldings and neat 5-spokes.

That spot viewed today according to Google Maps 3-D: https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.2444777,-79.8294842,31a,35y,335.3h,78.27t/data=!3m1!1e3 .  My '67 Chevelle spent its first 6 or 7 years about 1 block from there on the other side of Gage Park with my Aunt on Rothsay Ave (the Tudor style house in the bottom center here): https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.2409729,-79.8235021,103a,35y,306.24h,73.3t/data=!3m1!1e3   Funny thing, my aunt moved out of there around 1973/74. Fast forward to the late 1990s when I met the Hamilton-based boyfriend of a girl I know from Gravenhurst. As it turns out he used to deliver the daily paper to my aunt that moved away in the early 1970s. I mentioned that I had her old Chevelle, to which he replied, "is it dark green?" Bingo!

"My '67 Chevelle spent its first 6 or 7 years about 1 block from there on the other side of Gage Park with my Aunt on Rothsay Ave "

 

Cameron, I lived on Rosslyn up near Lawrence from 86 to 91. First house. Tried to buy a nice 2 1/2 story place on Rothsay, but it was far too expensive at 80k!

Ate lots of fish and chips back then from Connaught at Gage and Main..