Mom & Dad's First Apartment
Colorado City, Texas
About the Lloyds—they invited us to supper a few days after our return to Texas following our wedding. Dad told me that I would really like the Lloyds, and they invited us for supper to meet me. I'm not sure what I was expecting for a meal, but it was real "down home." Red beans, corn bread, turnip greens, and sweet milk. Sweet potato pie for dessert. Great evening—till Mr. Lloyd announced it was time for paper people to be in bed.
P.S. Mrs. L's favorite expression was "shiny as a pewter button in a mud hole." (recollections by Janna Hey Dean)
First Apartment
313 East Sixth Street
Colorado City
The apartment was above the garage and had a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. It was a furnished apartment and had a four-poster bed, which Dad accidentally broke one day. Instead of trying to fix the poster he broke, he just sawed off both of the ones at the foot. Not the best solution, according to Mrs. Gary, the landlady. When he first went to Colorado City, Dad rented a room and bath with private entrance at 805 Walnut from Mrs. Minnie Wulfjen. Then he rented the apartment before we married, but did not live there until we returned to Texas after our wedding. No real "stories" about the apartment other than the four-poster bed. I often went with Dad on the paper route before Steve was born. In the evenings, we often visited with Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd at 745 East 9th where we played "42" until Mr. L would announce that it was time for paper people to be in bed. The LLoyds were in their early 70s and when Mr. L. retired, we bought the house from them.
745 East 9th
Steve (1999), in front of 745 East 9th, Mom and Dad's first home, where they and son Steve lived until 1954.
Elbert on porch of his landlady,
Minnie Wulfjen,
805 Walnut, Colorado City.
Mrs. Lloyd's Texas Dishwasher
One evening, Mrs. Lloyd told us about some of their kinfolk who came every Sunday for dinner, but left immediately after the meal and never stayed to help with dishes. She finally grew tired of their unwillingness to help and decided to take an interesting solution. As soon as dinner was over, she called the dog in, put the plates on the floor for him to lick clean, then picked the dishes up and put them in the cupboard. Their "guests" never returned. (recalled by Janna Hey Dean)
