As I write this week’s column very early on a frigid Friday morning, my thoughts are more on escaping this weather than on anything else.

I mean, it is in the teens and 20s below zero actual temperature, with wind chills in the minus 30s and 40s.

Yikes. For a Southern California boy, that is dang cold. Even for a Minnesota old guy, that is pretty chilly.

And in typical Minnesota style, we say that as bad as it is, it could always be worse. This morning Grand Marais, Minnesota, has a “feel-like” temperature of 61 degrees below zero! Yes, that is correct. I am not sure I can even fathom what that might be like.

So, I am for sure looking forward to escaping the cold later this coming week. Yep, gonna take a few days off and get out of this frozen tundra of winter.

Am I going somewhere toasty warm like Florida? Well Florida isn’t that toasty, it seems. I had family members there a week ago, and the morning temperature was 37 degrees. And it even snowed in Florida last week, and they are having more bad weather this week.

So am I going to Arizona, or even Mexico, like my favorite place of Zhiuatenajo?

Nope. While that would be nice, I am actually headed north, to north Minneapolis for a few days for a winter getaway.

It is time for the Minnesota Newspaper Association Annual Convention. It has been something I have done every year, for, well, let’s just say, a whole lot of years.

And once again, I will be attending the annual awards banquet, where once again, the Faribault County Register will be receiving five awards. For the last several years, we have received five awards, sometimes a couple more than that. But, every year we have been honored by the newspaper association for the work we do here at the Register.

We know what categories we won an award in, but we don’t know the exact award until we get to the convention. So, we will have to announce the exact awards in a future issue of the Register.

I am looking forward to the convention again, as it always has some very good speakers and sessions about newspapers and what we do. This year is no different, with several hot topics on the schedule. I am one of the panelists at one session that has to do with buying and selling newspapers, something I have been involved with over the years.

The monetary value of newspapers has fluctuated greatly over the years, as do all businesses, I guess. But the value of newspapers to their communities that they serve has stayed the same, I feel.

It is true. There has been a lot of changes in the newspaper world in recent years, especially in how they are produced in both print and digital worlds. Also true is the sad fact that there are a lot of newspapers – both large and small – that have ceased publication, both in Minnesota and nationwide.

All of that will be discussed at this year’s Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention, both during the regular sessions, as well as conversations between sessions.

It is my favorite part of the convention – seeing old friends and making new friends and talking about newspapers and what we do.

As a past president of the newspaper association, I have a few other duties at the convention, including helping put on a special dinner at the end of the convention. After everyone else has gone home, the past presidents of the association, and current board members, gather for a time to visit and catch up and have a little fun.

We only gather twice a year, once at the convention, and once during the summer for our past presidents annual meeting.

It is a unique thing in the Minnesota newspaper world. Once you have been the president of the association, you become a member of the past president’s “club” for life.

It is a special group and I am looking forward to seeing a lot of them all again. Although with many of the past presidents being retired, quite a few are not around, as they are smart and are enjoying some warmth in places like Florida and Arizona.

So I am indeed looking forward to escaping winter for a couple of days, even if it is just indoors in a hotel in Minneapolis. But more importantly I am looking forward to talking about one of my favorite subject – newspapers.

My advice to everyone is to stay warm and remember, only a month or two of winter to go.

Hmm, it is still not too late to book a trip to Arizona, Florida or Mexico, is it?

Think I will go check on that.