My most nostalgic memories and feelings hit me in a Southern rain. I know it can rain hard in the South, but my memories center on the softness of a Southern rain. I moved to Texas as a boy in the mid-seventies and for the first two weeks it rained non-stop for 14 straight days. They said it was a record at the time. I got into running and spent countless hours running in the rain. I remember those runs as always so comfortable.

I ran a final time in Ashville today around the Hard Times Loop Trail. I ran for a mile or so with another man about my age. My pace dropped from 11.5 minutes to 9.5 uphill. We had a good chat. Afterward, Karen and I hit the Malaprops Bookstore. She picked up a mystery and I found a couple of reads that I enjoyed later on our porch while the rain came down. Nothing better than sitting in a Southern rain.