Monday, August 17, 2009

No Cooking Today

There will be no cooking for me today because it’s my birthday. It’s also the day my husband Meakin proposed to me forty years ago at this beautiful fountain in Houston, Texas. This photo was taken by my husband the day he proposed and it’s faded somewhat and stuck in an old album, thus it isn’t as sharp as it once was.

The fountain, known as one of the Mecom Fountains, is at the middle of the five way intersection of Main, Montrose and Herman Drive in Houston, Texas, near Rice University and the Medical complex. It was beautifully lit at night but our photo of the lit fountain has seen the effects of what heat does to plastic album covers and is not worthy of showing. It is across from what was then the stately Warwick Hotel. The fountain is named after John Mecom, Jr., a wealthy and successful Houston oil and cattleman who, at the time, owned the Warwick Hotel in the background. Mr. Mecom also founded the New Orleans Saints NFL team in 1966 and was well known in the Indy car racing world with his Mecom Racing Team. Successful drivers such as A.J. Foyt, Roger Penske and Jackie Stewart drove for his team.
Since then the Mecom Fountains have experienced some bad times. In the fall of 2006 someone stole the 264 bronze canisters that lit the fountain. After staying in the dark for months, it got some help with floodlights from high atop the nearby Hotel ZaZa and is beautiful once again. Fortunately for us our marriage seems to have had a better fate through the years than the fountain.
I met my husband on a blind date. My roommate had a friend in the Army and he and my future husband, who was also in the Army at the time, came to Houston for a visit. He tells everyone he found me in the bargain basement at Foleys Department Store, which is true. I had been recruited off campus at the University of Arkansas to be in Foleys Executive Management Program and was an Assistant Buyer in Women’s Sportswear at the time. We lived in Houston during the early years of our marriage and, as a coincidence, later belonged to the fancy private club that had an outside glass elevator that took you to the penthouse club of John Mecom’s Warwick Hotel that overlooked the fountain where I said yes and we’ve lived happily together ever after.

37 comments:

  1. A very happy birthday and a wonderful story about your engagement. Hope your day is great!!!

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  2. A very happy birthday, Sam. I love your story about how you met your husband. Have a wonderful day.

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  3. Happy birthday and thank you sharing such a beautiful story :-)

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  4. Happy Birthday to you! What a wonderful story -- Jim and I will celebrate our 40th anniverary this year as well -- and we met on a blind date too!

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  5. A happy birthday to you, Sam! (I made your Provencal potato salad for company last weekend and it was divine!)

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  6. Happy Birthday and Anniversary, Sam! *hugs*

    Coincidentally, 17 August is Indonesian Independence day, it's the 64th :)

    I really like your last sentence "we’ve lived happily together ever after", it's so sweet...

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  7. Oh! Happy Birthday Sam!! And happy anniversary...of sorts...how romantic :D

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  8. Happy Birthday, that was a beautiful story. How wonderful that you've had so many good years together. Very romantic indeed.

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  9. Happy, Happy Birthday! What a romantic story. Too bad crummy people have a mess things up huh?!

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  10. What a cute story about the bargain basement comment, and I do not blame you...no cooking for the birthday'versary girl! Hope its happier than last...they do say it only gets better right...

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  11. What a wonderful birthday gift he gave you 40 years ago. Hope you have a very happy birthday Sam.

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  12. Happy Birthday, Sam. I love your story of your marriage proposal. Did you read mine? Not nearly as romantic, but the marriage lasted 45 years. We didn't have such a fine fountain in our little town.
    Thanks for the history lesson on Houston. Sounds like a great city.

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  13. Happy, happy birthday, Sam! Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful memory as the day your husband proposed. The photograph is faded by the memory is as bright and vivid as the day it was made!

    I had a big smile on my face as I read about how you met future spouse: my husband and I also met on a blind date!! His roommate at the Naval Academy was dating my cousin; I was asked to chaperone her but I didn't want to be the odd wheel, so her date rustled up his roommate and the rest if marital history!

    Yay for birthdays and blind dates!

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  14. What a sweet and wonderful story! Happy Birthday!!

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  15. Happy birthday sweet Sam!!! This is such a lovely story!!!!!

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  16. Happy, Happy birthday to you, you wonderful, sweet lady!! I thoroughly enjoyed your story. So charming. I hope you have a terrific day!

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  17. Happy birthday to you!!! What a wonderful story!

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  18. Happy Birthday Sam! Your husband got the bargain of a lifetime. Lovely story.

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  19. I sure hope you had a perfect birthday!

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  20. What a wonderful story!!!! I love this, and appreciate you sharing it with us.

    And a Happy, VERY Happy Birthday to you, Sam!

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  21. Sam,
    This is such a sweet story. I hope you had a very Happy Birthday!

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  22. I hope you had a happy birthday!!!!

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  23. Belated Happy Birthday, Sam! Hope it was a great day!

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  24. Belated Happy Birthday Sam!! Hope you had a wonderful day.

    What a beautiful story. I haven't been to the fountain, but remember Jon Mecam, Jr.

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  25. Sam, Hope your birthday was wonderful! Great photo, great memories.

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  26. What a lovely story. Congratulations on your many wonderful years of marriage!

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  27. Sam Happy Birthday and Congratulations on a happy marriage. I've seen what a happy couple you two are.

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  28. Happy Bday (belated). Thanks for sharing that sweet story. I love glimpses into the lives of people. There is such richness in our shared humanity! GREG

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  29. Happy (belated) birthday .. I have been absent a few days and .. missed your birthday. I enjoyed the stry.

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  30. Happy belated B-DAY!!! Auguri!!!

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  31. Very happy happy birthday Sam and thanks for such a sweet story. May you and your wonderful mate enjoy many more years together.

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  32. Sam, happy happy birthday.
    I love the story of you two love birds. Very nice!

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  33. Thanks everyone for the wishes. I had a great birthday and later in the week invited some friends over for a party on the porch, as I call it. We enjoyed an assortment of appetizers, drank some wine and ate my favorite cake, an almond pound cake drowned in Limoncello, which I'll post sometime. It was a dark and stormy night and the pictures didn't turn out well, otherwise I would have posted them. Thankfully our porch is screened.
    Sam

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  34. A great big belated Happy Birthday! ...and may their be many more.

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