Good quick thinkin', Blindboy!
I was at my grandparent's house last Thanksgiving, and there is a really old acoustic under a couch in one of the rooms. The action is so high on it through the warped neck that you can't really even push the strings down, one of the tuners is missing so everything has to be tuned to that one note... in general, it's not a well playing axe! But, basing it on that one note (the A string, I think) I tuned it into my best approximation of open D and went at it with the handle of a coffee mug- I bet nobody had heard "Statesboro Blues" that way before! It's always fun using stuff around you in a new and fun way
. Other things I've found to work for slides are harmonicas, socket wrench thingies, and whammy bars!
That's also cool you have some friends in Maine! There are very few people to play with in my area, maybe I just need to look a little harder.
"Ayyyyy ayyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyaaaie yaaaaaaie yaaaaaa, yaaa yyie yaaaaie yyaa yyyaaaa"
L. Staley
"And there is no excuse for boredom. I can read and listen to music. How could I ever be bored?"
J. Cunningham
) and a picking party ensued. Much fun was had by all. 
