In the summer of 2011, my good friend and real estate broker Garry Milton came across a dilapidated house for sale on the shores of Herrington Lake in Harrodsburg, KY. Accustomed to flipping houses, Garry knew he had found a diamond in the rough, a house on prime lakefront real estate that just needed some TLC. When he asked me if I wanted to partner with him and pay half the costs of buying and renovating it, I said yes, fully knowing that these sorts of agreements often collapse and ruin friendships.
Over the next 6 months, we completely renovated the property. We added a huge deck with stairs to the water, brought in a dock and even purchased a pontoon and a bass boat. By Memorial Day 2012, we had a nice little getaway with one of the best views on the lake.
In the end, the decision to buy this house was one of the best I have ever made.
Not only did my friendship with Garry survive this partnership, it prospered. Because of the countless hours spent at the lake, our children have grown up together and still love each other.
However, even after 6 incredible summers of fun in the sun, all good things must come to an end. Garry spends much of his free time in Florida now, and my new job as medical director of the Samuel Brown Health Center for city employees requires working many Saturdays in Lexington. My wife and I now have a toddler who must be watched closely along the rocks and the water, and our older kids have developed interests that keep them busy on weekends. The time came to sell the property, and we did. Moving our belongings out last weekend got me to thinking about what owning this little slice of heaven on the water has meant to me.
I fell in love there.
Many hours were spent on the lake with my future wife when we dated. When I accidentally dumped her off the front of the pontoon boat into the cold water on a chilly October evening, and she still loved me, I knew I had a keeper.
The family time spent there was pure quality time. 
With crappy phone service, no wi-fi, computer or Playstation, we actually spent time together, engaged with each other, enjoying each other’s company.
We taught our kids how to catch fish.
And how to wakeboard.
We enjoyed great times with great friends.
As a photographer, it gave me such a great canvas to create memorable photographs.
Click on this link for a video that pretty much sums it all up: Our Life at the Lake
Thanks for the memories, our little home on the lake. They’ll be cherished forever as the best days of our lives.
Heart of Big Blue Nation 
Dr. Mike, this is beautiful. So happy for you. Congratulations on your new position and on having such a lovely family. And thank you for sharing your joy and memories with us old friends, too. 🙂 Best always! ~ Sarah
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Beautiful sentiments and memories! Now, on to making more Huang Family❤️
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What a fine memory for a lifetime. You and your family will treasure the stories and you have captured the triggers for the stories with your photography.
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[…] upon a time I owned a pontoon boat and a piece of property on Herrington Lake, and I spent many hours enjoying the wonders of nature there. This photo of a blue heron in the […]
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