I don’t know about y’all but I need a vacation in the worst way. It’s time for a change of scenery after being stuck in this routine for however long it’s been.
The South Texas Press Association’s annual convention has been rescheduled three times so far. Now it’s in August and I’m going come hell or high water.
The association is almost 100 years old. There is a bigger Texas Press Association, but the South Texas Press Association is the one I like best. All of the other newspaper families that I’ve grown up with are a closely-knit bunch.
Plus I get to compete against my brother’s newspaper and I’m really looking forward to that. The name of his newspaper escapes me at the moment.
The convention organizers have told us that we’ve definitely won some awards but, of course, they don’t tell us which ones.
The conventions were always a favorite time in our family because we’d get to go somewhere and play with all the other newspaper family’s kids.
The place I remember going most often was Laredo and staying at La Posada Hotel. Each time the convention was held there we would get to go across the river to Nuevo Laredo. As a kid that was a big deal to me going to another country.
I don’t remember eating a lot of Mexican food growing up in Rockdale, but I do remember the food in Laredo. It was all new and exotic to me back then. Now I can’t live without it.
Mom and Dad would give us a little money when we’d cross over into Mexico. I think I spent all of mine on Chicklets that other little kids sold.
This year’s convention is in Corpus Christi and we also went there many times as kids.
When I started college at SWTSU (it’s called something else now but it’ll always be SWTSU to me) my friend Shari Seifert and I decided to join the band since we enjoyed it so much in high school. We had an out of town game in Corpus and we stayed at the same hotel where the convention is going to be held, Emerald Beach Hotel which is right on the water.
And I don’t care how much COVID-19 weight I’ve gained, I’m going to the beach at some point. I hope nobody tries to roll me back in the water.
Another fun place was San Antonio. I think the press conventions we went to there was the first time I’d seen the Alamo or the Riverwalk. I also remember seeing the hemisphere tower once. We’d always stay right
We’d always stay right downtown in either the Menger Hotel or the Gunter Hotel, both historic and very beautiful.
Luckily for us the convention folks got us great room rates, or our family of six would have been staying at a Holiday Inn on some freeway somewhere outside of San Antonio and having to drive in to the convention every day.
I am already seeing lots of people’s vacation photos on my social media. I hope every teacher and every parent-teacher gets to take a nice break after this crazy spring semester. And I bet all those kids are ready for a break from home as well.
Actually, whoever wants a vacation should have one, but please be careful. This COVID-19 stuff is still around.
If you do vacation, stay safe wherever you go and whatever you do.
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