How might one go about encapsulating a marital relationship? Genealogically, a date of marriage will suffice. The children, if any, punctuate the presumed equilibrium — 'til death do them part. Well, that's the theory. In spite of changing mores and a recognition that things in the past were not always as simple as they were supposed to appear, dates remain pretty useful markers...

I met my wife in early November 1969. It took a while to get this train on the right track: I believe that we first held hands on 9 January 1971. On 15 September 1972, she created for me a little booklet of simple art and prose and gave it to me the following day: I call it Treasure.