I’ve never knitted a thing in my life. But I’ve seen Megan’s posts about how relaxing it can be, and I’ve always been a little curious. What better opportunity to learn than on this road trip? With plenty of time, long stretches of open road, and good company, it felt like the perfect moment.
Our first stop? Hank — Megan’s favorite yarn boutique. She lit up as soon as we walked through the door. I, on the other hand, stood wide-eyed at the walls of colorful skeins, wondering how on earth I was going to turn any of it into something useful. But with Megan as my teacher, I was in good hands.
With my new knitting gear in hand and a spark of beginner’s optimism, we jumped in the car and headed north. This trip is all about serendipity, so naturally, our first detour happened before we even left the state.
Megan has always wanted to tour the house from A Christmas Story —you know, the one with the leg lamp in the window and the Red Ryder BB gun drama. While the movie claims to be set in Hammond, Indiana, the real house is actually in Cleveland. So off we went, chasing nostalgia and roadside curiosities.
Only three scenes from the movie were actually shot in the Cleveland house. The rest were filmed on a soundstage in Toronto — but that didn’t stop Megan from grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
We posed with the infamous leg lamp (yes, it’s still in the window), peeked into the kitchen where the turkey met its untimely end, and climbed the stairs to see where Ralphie plotted his BB gun dreams. A little kitschy? Sure. But totally worth the stop. After all, what’s a road trip without a few unexpected turns and a touch of movie magic?
Megan stole the show with her re-enactment of Randy’s famous scene under the sink. Clearly, she missed her true calling in improv comedy.
Next up: Niagara Falls. We made a quick stop on the Canadian side for a look at the roaring water — still impressive, even in a hurry. Snapped a few photos, took a spin through the duty-free store and just like that, we were back on the road headed for Toronto.
We arrived at our destination around 11:00 pm. Long day, good talk, tired now.
Jane in Spain 