JJ,
Those hunks on the road (not gorgeous men), but pieces of tires are called alligators down here...I guess because of the alligators in the area. I personally have never ever seen one one the road of off, but my husband says he sees them all the time when he's on his train going to and from New Orleans...he says they get on the rails to sun themselves, hear the train coming, open their mouths to growl at the noisy beast coming towards them and then kur-plumk-ker-plunk....train 1...gator zero. The weirdest thing my husband has hit with a train was refrigerator...then there's the time he hit a cement park bench...and one driver (thankfully not him) hit a porta pottie some teenagers put on the tracks...guess they wanted to see the poop fly...
I have no idea why I went off in that direction after hearing JJ talk about hitting a piece of a tire on the highway...guess that goes to show you...over 50 there's no telling where one ends up when one starts to talk about something...kindda reminds me of when I walk into a room and forgot what I went in there in the first place...go figure..
Anyway, JJ glad you're in one piece and I hope to have you down this way again soon. Next time I'll bring some of that coconut cake. I'm still reading and chuckling over your book...and thanks for signing it for me...I expect you to become really famous so I can get rich off it some day on ebay...

Love ya girl

Dee