Well, here we are, all packed up with our son's stuff in Lawton, OK, and, just like those families escaping the Dust Bowl in the 30s, ready to return to Gurnee, IL.

But wait! What are those ungainly, large ceramic items on the back of the Explorer? It could be, it might be, it is! Insulators! And station posts, to boot!

I will probably have to hide from my glass-collecting friends for a while, at least until I recover from the shame of collecting such huge mud.

Actually, in May I bought one of these three-segment 138 KV station posts on eBay from a collector in Oklahoma City. He was unwilling to ship the 100 lb insulator, but he was kind enough to hold it for me until I came thorough Oklahoma City to pick it up. He actually had three of them (9 segments), and offered me all I could take. I settled for six. Two of them (at nearly 40 pounds each) are ballasting the rooftop carrier; the other four are strapped to the roof rack. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but she knew that years ago, so what the heck...

I'm soliciting suggestions for a use for them: 1) a center leg for a really cool cocktail table; 2) shelf supports for an insulator display; 3) boat anchors for the Titanic.