Thanks for your note, EZ. I checked the short crossover hose above the exhaust manifold cover and it's not leaking. When I replaced the head gasket a few years ago, I forgot to tighten one of the hose clamps and that hose leaked, the discovery of which was a load off my mind, as I was afraid that I had screwed up installation of the new water pump. When I last replaced that hose due to a small crack at the clamp, it was almost as hard as ABS, probably because of heat deterioration.
