If you are referring to the "jokingly" part of my explanation, yes, exactly. It would seem somewhat humourous so you would not use 奥さん when introducing your wife to a stranger or superior.　

Thanks again everyone....... this is EXACTLY why I was asking the question.... to get a broad prespective on the situation. The darn language is SO complex to get a decent handle on.

And most of the interactions I will have are in the 50 to 60+ age range (I'm an Old F%rt). Most peer-to-peer level, a lot will be semi-uchi (long term friend relationships), and most all of us are mid to late career professional artists.

best,

.............john

Good that you get the concept of 外／内. This is a VERY important thing to understand for descriptions of family, giving/receiving/doing for someone/having something done for you verb constructions, keigo, etc.

In that case, I would stick with 家内 and 主人 instead of having to wonder which one to use in every different situation. You couldn't go wrong with it even if you wanted to.