Based on a handwritten note on the back of the photograph, this picture of my mother, right with dark hat and her cousin Paul, was taken in Palgrave, now a conservation area in Ontario, just north or Toronto. The two were very close, as their mothers, sisters of each other, were close. A year following this picture being taken, my mother and her parents would move to England returning only in the summer of 1940. Mother and Paul would then rekindle their relationship, which continued until his death in 1998. I remember visiting Paul and his family in their country home in New Hampshire in the early 1970s.
The license plate identifies both the location (Ontario) and the year (1932).
The car in this photograph appears to be a 1929–1931 Buick, likely a Series 60 or Series 80. The vertical grille with its distinct Buick emblem, large round headlamps, and stylish curved fenders are characteristic of Buick models from this era. Buick Series 80 was a more upscale version of the car. They both offered a range of engine sizes, such as a 5.5 litre, in-line 8 cylinder delivering about 100hp.
Major roads leading out of Toronto, such as Highway 10 (Hurontario Street), were partially paved in the early 1930s. Paving was more common in urban areas or near major towns. However, once you left the city limits, many rural roads, including stretches toward Palgrave, were still gravel or dirt. Travel between Toronto and Palgrave would have been slower than today, likely taking about 2–3 hours depending on conditions. Google maps reports it would take under an hour to complete the same route today.
I recall my father saying it was not uncommon to get a flat tire on such journeys.
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