Seventy years of marriage have put a few wrinkles on Helen and Walter Carlson's faces, but their hearts remain true.

Helen is now 88 years old. Walter is 90 years old.

They are both originally from North Dakota, although they did not meet until they each got to Washington.

Walter survived the drought from 1929 to 1936 and remembers freezing 40-degree below temperatures.

"I told my dad I needed to go during the depression. He said, if you can sell the black bull, you can have the money," Walter recalled. The bull weighed 1300 pounds and Walter received $12 for it. He used the money to drive to Yakima, Washington with a friend.

"I paid for a share of the gas. It was 16 cents a gallon," said Walter.

He got a job picking apples, averaging 100 boxes a day and saved $75. Then he went to work at a shingle factory to earn room and board.

Helen's father pulled a disappearing act in Dakota and she ended up being adopted by a family in Pioneer, WA. Walter first saw Helen on a school bus on her way to high school in 1934.

"The first time I saw her, I though she was a beautiful girl. I said that's the one I want to have. She was just what I wanted," said Walter.

"He was very kind and a thoughtful man. We just fell in love," said Helen.

On their first date, they went to church. They got married on February 11, 1936 in church converted from an old school house. "It was the first wedding in the church," said Helen who wore a white satin gown and veil.

The couple moved to Seattle where Walter eventually hired on with Bank of Office Interiors where he worked for 30 years.

Helen worked at Seattle City Light and retired after 20 years.

They built a house in Ballard on Northwest 74th Street in 1945. At the time there weren't any houses around them and the road was not yet paved. Nearby were an apple orchard and a small dairy farm.

The Carlson's attend Philadelphia Church down the street from their home.

Walter performs in the church choir. "I sing at weddings. I do not sing good, but I sing loud," he said.

Helen is half Swedish and half Norwegian. Walter is a full Swede and speaks the language fluently, learning it from his father. He spoke so well in Norway, the locals asked him what part of the country he was born in.

For their wedding anniversary on February 11, they took the train down to Vancouver, Washington to a party hosted by friends. The bridesmaid from their wedding attended, along with the flower girl, who is now 77 years old.

And how do they keep their marriage fresh after 70 years?

"We just try to have a good time," Helen said.