Or something else?
Found on the trunk of an oak, there was only one....

I did touch it, trying to get it to crawl on my hand... it was not interested... no sting either.

It does look like Hemileuca maia, the Buck Moth. They vary of course, but I found a photo which is much the same stage as yours. It seems you should have been stung.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

http://bugguide.net/node/view/...

Thanks for the response... Even if it was not an interesting alternative...
Those spines are certainly noteworthy, reckon the sting woulda been something worth writing home about...