I twisted my husband’s arm on Sunday.  A lot.  Not only did he “carry” me  (see–I am getting into Southern-speak) to meet with Dancin’ Dave and to see the Dancin’ Dave peanut he also transported me to Paris.

Or the closest thing that I could find to Paris in Alabama.  You see Paris had the famous Pont des Arts bridge where lovers have placed locks signifying their undying love for one another and then tossed the keys into the Seine that lies below the bridge.   The New York Times reported on June 1st that the city was taking the famed bridge iron work down as the locks that have been piled on for the last 5 years were becoming a hazard in many ways.  They tried to be considerate of those who had placed the locks there as a symbol of their love but when it all came down to it it just needed to be done.  The locks affixed to the bridge weighed just around 45 tons when dismantled and left behind over 700,000 keys on the bottom of the river.  Creative ideas are being considered on how to preserve those locks but for now they are history that can not be seen.  

When I first visited Dothan Area Botanical Gardens back in March I walked the entire garden and found Dothan’s version of the Love Lock Bridge.  

As you can see it is decorated with a lot of locks already.

I had to jump on the bandwagon of course and had hoped that Chris and I could commemorate our anniversary this past July by placing a lock on the Lock Gate in Dothan.  Corny, yes, but fun and I am all about fun.

We were in Iowa on our anniversary but you know I was prepared ahead of time and bought a special lock for us.

So on a blistering hot day I persuaded Chris to go to the deserted Dothan Area Botanical Gardens to place our very own Love Lock on the gate.  

It is conveniently located to the nearby gazebo and pergola and fountain area where many weddings take place.

A part of me will always be in Dothan now.  I love the gardens here and am thrilled that it is such a well kept and lovely oasis to visit anytime. It is maintained so nicely and looks different now than it did back in March.  My initial post about the garden can be viewed here.  

If you are ever in the area I think this should be a stop on your itinerary.  Located at 5130 Headland Avenue the Gardens are open from 7 am until 5 pm daily.  Visits are free but donations are always appreciated to help with upkeep.

I will leave you with my favorite picture from our Love Gate experience.  Don’t you love it?