Birthdaze: Abandoned Bannerman Castle
October 20, 2018
Pollepel Island is a small island in the Hudson River most known for Bannerman Castle. A man named Francis Bannerman purchased the island in 1900, building the castle to store surplus military equipment–which was his livelihood. And those stockpiles of shells and gunpowder are to blame for substantial damage to the castle in 1920 when 200 pounds of them exploded. Doh! Left vacant after 1950 and further destroyed by fire in 1969, the castle has been slowly decaying since, with its most current collapse in 2009. (source) So of course the Bannerman Castle has been on my ‘to-do’ list for quite some time. With my birthday weekend upon me, I was treated to a boat ride and tour to the island.
We accessed the castle was via Beacon, New York, a pretty and scenic destination by its own right. But like usual, we eat then we do everything else. Breakfast at Beacon Bread Company did the job, though we were a bit yucked out by many flies and reheated potatoes whose seasonings had gotten gunky. 
Avocado makes everything better.
No matter how old I get, a swing set in the Fall is one of life’s simple pleasures.
Foliage is slow-going but I found some.
The pier that would receive our vessel to Bannerman’s Castle.
The abandoned castle on the Hudson River, finally. 
Views at the highest point of the island
An interesting cloud on a beautiful day.
Monarchy
An informative tour and a glorious day
A late lunch at Simply Green Cafe in Ramsey, New Jersey on the way home to Brooklyn. I went simple–spinach, tomato, red onion, avocado with a kale slaw. 