Brad and Laurie Meyer, both Frankfort natives, knew they wanted to raise their three boys in a country setting close to town. They say they were fortunate to have found the perfect spot in the east end of Franklin County 25 years ago and built their “forever” home on Hanly Lane. The boys are grown but they still find their way back to the haven that Brad and Laurie created.
“We love being out here. Probably what I love the most is that we have seven acres but we are only six minutes from Kroger and a couple of miles from Versailles Road,” Laurie explains. “It’s hard to find that convenience with acreage anymore.”
The right place, the right time
“We were moving back from Nashville,” Brad says, explaining how they found the land for their home. HMB (HMB Professional Engineers, Inc.) had called me to come back to the Frankfort office from Nashville. So, I was in town … and ran into Granville Coblin. I told him Laurie and I were moving back to town and would like to find a place “right on the edge.” Granville said ‘I’ve got the place for you! Francis Canty is dividing up part of a farm out on Hanly Lane.’ … and the rest is history.”
The three-level home has plenty of room to spread out with an open, airy family room, master suite, large kitchen and breakfast nook and finished basement. “I liked that the plan we chose had the master bedroom on the first floor and three (bedrooms) upstairs for the three boys,” Brad explains. “We didn’t finish the basement when we built,” Laurie adds. “We did that when the boys got a little older. Then they had their own space to hang out,” she says.
Wildlife decor
The family room is the hub of the Meyer home and it’s easy to see what the couple enjoys by looking at the decor. Family photos sit on tall shelves flanking either side of the two-story brick fireplace. There are pictures of the boys, John, Barrett and Eric, playing sports and at various stages throughout their lives.
The other prominent decor is related to Brad’s love of hunting. His trophies adorn the walls, each with its own story — deer heads and a full-sized turkey perched on a limb. An elk chandelier adds to the rustic flair. “All that we need now is a bear rug with its mouth open to complete the look,” Laurie laughs, shaking her head.
But the coup de gras belongs to Laurie. It is the 360-pound marlin that she caught during a trip to Hawaii. It hangs in a place of honor on a family room wall and is the star of Laurie’s legendary fish story.
Outdoor living
Laurie and Brad say they like to spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoor living space that they added nine years ago. “In Kentucky, you can usually be outside from March through November,” Laurie says, smiling. “When Brad asked me what we should do for our 25th wedding anniversary, I told him what I really wanted was a big back patio.”
One of Brad’s three brothers, Richard, was at the house during this conversation. “He grabs a cocktail napkin and designed everything right then — the fireplace, the Tiki Hut bar, the pattern in the concrete, the hot tub area. We added the pool about four years ago.”
“It’s been really great to have this space,” Laurie says. “When it get’s chilly, we light a fire and it’s so nice! And it’s the perfect space for entertaining. We’ve had the folks from Brad’s office, teachers from my dance studio, friends, and, of course, family.”
A passel of pups
Living on seven acres of land gives the five Meyer dogs plenty of room to roam as well. The couple have two-and-a-half acres of underground fence to accommodate their animals but according to Laurie they tend to spend much their time lounging on the deck patio furniture. All but one are English Setters.
“We have Pearl who has lived longer than any bird dog I’ve ever had,” Brad says pointing to each dog. “That’s Stumpy, Pearl’s son. He’s a really good bird dog. Sue is Laurie’s dog and is about as pretty a dog as I’ve seen.”
Laurie adds, “We have Cooper. Brad calls him Cooper because he thinks he looks like Alice Cooper with his long black hair. Then, we inherited Eric’s dog, Draco. He’s a German Shepherd and is probably around 14 years old now.”
Living and loving Frankfort
Brad and Laurie are both involved professionally in the Frankfort community. Brad is the president of HMB Professional Engineers, Inc., which has regional locations, in addition to its Frankfort office. Laurie is the owner and director of Capital City Dance Studio, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“Everybody takes a different path and the path I took has been my passion — engineering,” Brad explains. “I’m fortunate to work in the engineering business that my father and Jim Hayworth started in the early 1960s.
“We love living in Frankfort. It’s a great place to raise kids and a wonderful community. You’re close enough to get to whatever you want or need,” Brad says.
Being part of a small community makes Laurie happy. “I love watching the children of people that I went to school with and even grandchildren of people that my mom knows grow up,” she says. “I see so many children from the time they are 3 or 4 until they are young adults because of the dance studio,” she adds. “Finding avenues to give back is easier because we know the community and love the people here.”
The Meyers feel fortunate and thankful for what they have, especially having their families close by. “That city girl — Laurie — you couldn’t root her out of here now!” Brad says laughing. “I’d say we’re here to stay for awhile.”
Side story: The fish
The story of the 360-pound mounted marlin goes something like this:
“We were invited to go deep sea fishing by this guy I had met while golfing the day before at a contractor’s convention while we were in Hawaii,” Brad says. “The guy asked me if I fished. I told him yes. He asked if my wife fished. I said yes.”
“Of course that was a big lie,” Laurie interjects. “I didn’t fish. But I obviously did end up going.”
Three couples met in the hotel lobby at 6 a.m. for the fishing trip. Laurie excitedly recalls her experience. “The line goes out and all of a sudden I feel this big pull — a jerk on the line. People start bustling all around me and saying, ‘You’ve got a shark or a marlin or something big!’ I fought that fish for two and a half hours! It would get close, then run back out with a whizzing sound to the line. I was exhausted but I finally got it. They pulled it in by the nose.”
Chuckling, Brad adds, “We pretty much had to take out a third mortgage to get that fish back to Kentucky but we did it. We had a mold made of it and had it shipped to the house.”
“I wanted to put it in the basement but it wouldn’t fit! So, it lives on this wall in our family room,” Laurie says. When the kids were little, it was great fun for them to try to throw things up in its mouth. There’s still a little something up there in the ceiling where Garrett Hamilton threw a pop rocket up there and it stuck.”
