There is nothing quite as refreshing as a cool glass of water on a hot day. And in recent months, the idea of a glass of water has filled my thoughts more and more.

I have never prescribed to W.C. Fields’ opinion that water is unfit for human consumption (because it rusts pipes and fish make love in it – according to the comedian). I still drink out of the garden hose, after letting it run a little while to cool off.

While still residing in LA, I started visiting the Red Hill Spring in the Latham community on a regular basis. Last summer, it was nice to come in after working in the yard and replenish with crystal clear spring water. I later started using the spring water to make ice cubes to accompany my favorite adult beverage.

When I decided to stop drinking diet sodas, my water consumption increased. That was fine. Red Hill might not have been close to my office in Robertsdale, but newspaper business took me to the north end of the county on a regular basis. If I had to be in Stockton or Tensaw, empty gallon jugs would be in the back seat of the car waiting to be filled.

But when I moved back to Mississippi, Red Hill was not 30 miles away anymore. Instead, it was more like 300 miles away. So I had to figure out a new way to get palatable drinking water. Kathy is not a big water drinker (and not that mechanically inclined). When the refrigerator signaled that it was time for a new filter, she would simply unscrew the old filter and then put it right back in to trick the machine into thinking it had a new filter.

That technique sort of defeats the purpose of a filter, so the ice and drinking water had a bit of a mineral water twang to them. The ice is usually in some other liquid, so that taste was diluted. But since I had gotten used to the luscious, fresh spring water, I knew what I expected water to taste like, or rather, not to taste like. So I headed off to a big box home improvement store in search of a filter.

The old fridge filter had been discontinued, and replaced not once but twice by newer models to give you an idea of how long this particular unit had been on the job. Of course, there was a bit of sticker shock. They wanted $50 for something the size of a can of peas, and “suggested” that I replace it every three months. For that price, I think it ought to add lemon flavor and vitamins to the water. I might just send GE and email and make that suggestion.

The filtered water tasted much better, but I still had a hankering for some spring water. Living in northeast Mississippi for more than two decades, I had heard about some springs not far away. Since I had not been introduced to the wonders of spring water, I had never sought out the Molly Harmon Springs. I knew it was somewhere around Tremont, the same neck of the woods where Tammy Wynette was born.

An internet search narrowed down the location and I typed Harmon Springs Road into my GPS and set out. The adventure included a slight side trip to my parents to do some work in his shop. OK, the woodworking was the real reason for the trip. But since I was so close, I decided to head out and look for the springs.

Riding through the hilly sections of rural Itawamba County, it reminded me of the topography of north Baldwin County. The GPS told me to turn off on Highway 23 South. As I did, I remembered driving down that stretch of road many years ago. A local gospel group wanted someone to shoot some pictures for their first CD. They had located a little white country church out from Tremont.

As I kept going, I spotted the old church on the right, about a mile from where I turned off to go to the spring. I never knew I had been that close.

The springs are located off a heavily wooded country road. There is a makeshift wooden path leading back about 100 feet to where two PVC pipes protrude from the hillside. I headed to the one with the bigger flow and stuck a jug under it. It took 25 seconds to fill it. Compare that to the 3.5 seconds it takes at Red Hill.

As for the water, it is bright and clean tasting – none of the chemical hints that city water traditionally has. I agree with Brig. Gen. Jack Ripper that fluoridation is a Communist plot to overthrow the USA. While the new fridge filter produces good drinking water, it’s not the same.

It is 39 miles away from the house, but not that far from the folks. So I might be making more trips to Molly Harmon Springs. I think I need to try the spring water in solid form, with a little bit of fermented sugar cane juice.