The 37th National Insulator Association Annual Show & Convention was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin, Texas. After battling heavy rains to leave the Houston area, I arrived at the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. Doug Williams, Gil Hedges-Blanquez, Mike Doyle, and Lou Hall were there, too. More collectors appeared, and about 16 of us crossed the street for dinner at the Pappadeaux Restaurant. At my table were Lou, the Jacobsons, the Katonaks, the Haltmans, John McDougald, Doug, and Mike. Bob Berry and his family were at the table next to us.

Space at the unloading door was at a premium on Thursday evening. There was a small, narrow road that led up to it, and the road quickly filled with pickups and SUVs. A number of these had trailer loads of insulators behind them, one of which was John McDougald in his Jeep. I was able to jockey a spot for Chris Renaudo before the line got too long, since he had a huge backlit cabinet for his CD 145 CREB display. It turned out that those of us who were early birds at unloading had jumped the gun for set-up time, so a number of us waited in line in the hallway between the showroom and the loading door. Upon receiving the OK to go inside, we set-up immediately.

Friday morning dawned bright and early at the show hall. Things were already lively when I entered the show hall at 6:30. A last few tables were set up, and the displays were given a final tweaking.

The NIA Day was an insulator heaven. You couldn't lose at this show. Our dealers had everything from gorgeous to gaudy. Many top-drawer insulators changed hands. At least three Plutos and two Emminger's were seen. Jim Fielding became the proud new owner of a CD 130.1 fluted Cal Electric in deep cobalt blue, and he wasted no time adding it to his display cabinet. Butch Haltman had a Fry glass selection with two pitch black CD 229.6s and three CD 164.4s (one black, one opal, one cobalt). Mike Guthrie had EC&Ms in cobalt, teal, sage, green, and olive amber. Lou Hall's Micarta Core Suspension was a head-turner. Chuck Haymond had a CD 330 Pyrex and a complete Chambers insulator set. Chuck also had two California eggs (one sage, one smoke). Bill Rosato had a CD 723 dot-and-dash Wade complete with its wood cover.

John McDougald's tables were amazing. His selection included a yellow amber H.G.Co. beehive, a deep aqua CD 268 Crown, a CD 176 Whitall Tatum, a CD 203.2 Armstrong, a yellow green CD 126, a teal blue CD 134 Diamond P, a yellow green CD 164 Hemingray, a CD 160.5 Am. Tel. & Tel., a citrine CD 164 McLaughlin, a CD 733 Brookfield, a light purple CD 131.8 Paisley, a CD 130 Cal Electric, and a CD 731 with its original pin. John also had three different Boston Bottle Works insulators (CD 158, CD 158.2, and the screw top CD 158.9). A highlight of John's insulators was a red 1972 McLaughlin commemorative.

Colin and Karen Yennie had a great color table with a special purple section. They also had four CD 151 NATCOs, two ink cobalt CD 162s, a flashed amber CD 252 Hemingray, a champagne aqua CD 155 RYT, a yellow green CD 112 Lynchburg #31 keg, and a Boy Scout telegraph trainer in its original box.

Dudley and Sandy Ellis had a backlit cabinet with some excellent insulators. These included two CD 737 Leffert's (one in green aqua, the other blue), a CD 736 E.R.W., a CD 731 McKee, a cobalt swirled CD 155 Kerr, a Harloe claw, a CD 139.9 USLD McLaughlin, and a teal CD 738 hat. Dudley and Sandy also had a set of Cochrane bells on their table.

Other notable items for sale included Cutters in ribbed and coffin bottoms, a green CD 140 Jumbo, purple CD 194/95 Hemingray #54s, a green CD 292, original castles in all three colors, a CD 182 Dry Spot, a carnival CD 118, an aqua CD 270, a teal CD 790 teapot, a CD 284 Floy, a blue CD 333 Prism, an aqua CD 319 Locke, a carnival CD 1052 D-518, a CD 164 B.C. Drip, two green CD 280 Prisms, an ice CD 196 H.G.Co., several CD 245 T-H, a green aqua CD 117 &, a brown amber blackglass CD 731, a green CD 275 Locke, an ice CD 257 Mickey Mouse, a CD 125 in milky Brooke's blue, a blue aqua CD 308, a blue CD 199 Prism, a bright teal CD 121 McLaughlin, a CD 150 Brookfield, a purple CD 125 W.U., a green Santa Ana, a San Francisco wooden cable insulator, a VTS industrial set, a steel blue CD 164 McLaughlin, a depression glass green H.G.Co. beehive with snow, a green aqua CD 247, amber CD 154 Dominions, CD 145 Americans, a green CD 190/91 Prism, a jade sage CD 143 Canadian Pacific, an aqua CD 718, a CD 1110 B.E.L.Co., a rose CD 162 Maydwell, amber CD 214 Telegrafos Nacionales, a CD 110 Brookfield, royal purple CD 145 GNWs, a cornflower CD 106.3 Duquesne, a CD 306 Lynchburg, a cornflower CD 151 H.G.Co., a clear CD 221 Hemingray, a yellow CD 260 California, a triple ridge Mershon, a clear CD 231.2 Kimble, an ice green CD 162 S.S. & Co., and a blue CD 133.2 P&W. Among our dealers were Bill & Jill Meier, Mike Miller, Steve Blair, Glenn Drummond, Keith Brooking, Don & Kay Bryant, Gary & Darleah Fine, David Shaw, Bill & Linda Connell, Larry & Pat Whitlock, Brian Riecker and his family, Dave Brown, Steve & Kate McConnell, Al & Ellen Riddell, Chuck & Liz Silverman, Peter Abbott, John & Louann Wiggins, Dennis & Robin Bratcher, Ken Roberts, Mark & Elaine Correiro, Jeff Hogan, Chris Hedges, Mary Beth Strong, and many more.

Commemoratives included a glowing green CD 269 Jumbo/H&H Electric Company, a cobalt 1978 SNET commemorative, and various NIA Show commemoratives. Bernard Warren had the foreign insulator scene covered with porcelain and glass, including three CD 1170 disks that recently appeared in Crown Jewels. For go-withs, Rick Soller's table consisted of various catalogs, while Bob Stahr had various Hemingray products on his table. These included soda bottles, jars, water bottles and hurricane lamps made by Hemingray. Grant and Ann Barnes had radio strains, insulator buttons, and insulator books on CD. Alan Stastny had bottle caps, matchbooks, and railroad date nails.

Porcelain was well represented. Jimmy Burns had a brown NATCO beehive, yellow Thomas Cable, and signals in green, cobalt, gray, and butterscotch. Rob and Kathy Gilkerson had a selection of cables and porcelain hardware. Ken Willick had fuse disconnects, a yellow Westinghouse signal, a blue Locke cable, a green haystack, a green Locke Hi-Top 66, a turquoise Ohio Brass cable, and a porcelain egg. Ken also had a selection of cobalt-glazed signals. Jason Townsend had a selection of U.S. and foreign porcelain.

I worked the information table for the last two hours, but the excitement kept on coming. The NIA day was very busy, and it kept this reporter on the run. Although I couldn't stay for the whole weekend, I consider myself grateful to have been able to attend.