Taku Resort and Marina

With kids out of school, and summer fully underway, you may be feeling the rigors of summer life!

Don’t get me wrong – we aren’t complaining. Who doesn’t enjoy regular BBQ’s under the late-day sun or long slow walks to the local ice-cream parlour. For that matter, who doesn’t enjoy riding their bike to the local farmers market or playing soccer in the field without getting soaked from winter rain ! Summer allows us to really enjoy ourselves and the local beauty of Canada’s West Coast.

But ever get that feeling you are running out of ideas ? Are the kids starting to ask “what are we doing today ?” or worse yet, “I’m bored!”. We’ll have no fear, we’ve highlighted 3 of our favourite summer activities at Taku to help you enjoy the most of your summer fun.

Kick the Can or Flashlight Tag:

Kick the Can is a game combining both elements of hide-and-seek and capture the flag, this game for the whole family is perfect at home or away. In short, someone is “it”, and tries to catch everyone else. When caught, those players sit to the side until a “free” player kicks the can and “frees” everyone. “It” wins when he/she catches everyone, or until you decide to switch (which is a bit easier!!). Though you “could” play inside, we recommend an outdoor location with lots of hiding spots! Read more here.

Flashlight tag is another game, similar to regular tag. This game however is played at night with whoever’s “it” tagging people with the light instead of actually touching them. Read more here.

Berry Picking and Jam making:

All those berries you buy are often found in nature for free – in fact we have some up here at Taku just starting to show! Not sure what needs explaining here, but in case you do, here we go: look, pick, eat (or pack)! With an abundance of blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, and strawberries, if you don’t find them yourself, our staff will gladly help point you in the right direction!

But what to do with all those berries ? How about make something tasty that can be saved for later. With simply a little sugar, you can stew your berries down into lovely jams, spreads, or fruit preserves. Yum Yum.

Beach Combing or Fort Building:

One of my personal favourite things to do can be done right on our shores. Using abandoned drift wood, we’ve repeatedly built fun forts and hide-outs for our young ones to enjoy.Do you think your brood is up to the challenge ?

Whatever you do, just make sure you get out and have fun. The warm long days will be gone before you know it !!

There is no question that the popularity of local and sustainably grown and harvested food is here to stay. Long the bastion of a small but passionate minority, it’s now very clear that everyone is taking notice.

Consider the Agriculture Canada publication (Economic Impact Study, 2009 – http://goo.gl/BAjdE ) highlighting that farmers’ markets were responsible for roughly a $3.09 Billion impact in the Canadian Economy. No kidding: the reach and popularity of small farmers’ markets just like ours is big. And more importantly, it’s growing.

But growth and big dollars aside, why do we really care ? Ask any small child why they want to go to the market, and you’re sure to hear something along the lines of “I want to eat all the yummy food”! In fact, with many markets increasingly showcasing cooking classes, clowns, hands-on “farming”, and other children appropriate activities, farmers’ markets are a great way to spend an inexpensive day out with your children ! Oh, and to their point, there is generally “yummy food” abound!

Which brings me to why parents and adults care. Some will argue its all about quality and seasonality of the produce and meats. Others will swear that helping the small independent farmer is paramount. Others still will say that the price reflects the real value of the food (which as an aside, is generally cheaper than any big box or large chain vendor). Whatever the reason (and they are all valid), the market experience needs to be tried, and supported.

With the above in mind, we encourage you to visit your local farmer’s market. On Quadra Island, our farmers’ market runs every Saturday until the end of September from 10am until 2pm. With fresh fruits, berries, produce, fish, baked goods and more, it is an incredible opportunity to taste the very best of Quadra Island. Details can be found at http://goo.gl/PLmMG .

As a side, we will be sourcing much of the Taku Resort & Marina Cookery Class ingredients from some of these same farmers … it’s that good (though to be fully transparent, we have access to others that don’t or can’t serve the market on a weekly basis. Shhhh … its our secret!)

We hope to see you at the Quadra Island market over the summer, or at least hear your stories while visiting us !

Be good, eat right !

Yum …..

If you’ve been bearish in the last little while – hibernating over the winter in hopes of avoiding snow, sleet, and rain – now may be the right time to wipe those sleepy eyes, take a big ol’ stretch, and start planning for the warmer months ahead.

And though easy enough to plan for the summer (think kayaking around the Breton Islands, fishing off Sonora, hiking around Morte Lake, and relaxing by a fire under the stars), April and May offers an opportunity to get a head start on the fun!

And when thinking about what to do, consider the following:

April is the last month before September to pick your own clams and mussels, according to the old saying that shellfish are best in months containing an “r”. And nothing goes better with fresh seafood than chocolate – or maybe that’s just me. But with Easter (April 24 weekend) also in April, why not!

May is jam packed with special days (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May):
. May Day (UK)
. Cinquo De Mayo (Mexico)
. Mothers Day
. Victoria Day (Canada)
. Memorial Day (USA)

So regardless of what you have on your calendar, we hope you are as excited about the coming months as we are. Hope to see you soon!

Enter to win $50 towards your very first stay at Taku Resort and Marina.

In the comment area below please write some words as to why Taku would be a getaway perfect for you, maybe there’s an activity on site that you would like to do or anything else. Be sure to leave your name and email. Contest closes June 23rd and on June 24th we will draw a winner.

If you already entered a ballot at our booth at the festival your name will be entered twice.

Would you like to enter your name for a third time? In the photo below, if you know this man’s connection with the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival we will enter your name in for a third time. A hint is that he has been called the “Grandfather of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival”.

Would you like to enter your name for a FOURTH time? You can do this by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Paddles Up and Good Luck!

Some restrictions apply: $50 value can not be redeemed for cash and can only be applied to first time guests and new 2 night minimum booking.

Everything is brightening up with Spring. In May and in June we have some great groups of travelers coming our way. Taku has proven itself to being a very convenient spot for different types of interest groups to gather.

In April we had the Nanaimo Paddlers group spend a few nights with us. They were able to take advantage of our great kayak launch ramp, the ramp allows you to enter the kayak and sit safely then you are gently pushed onto the water. Gone are the days of of the daunting task of balancing yourself and the kayak upon entry without tipping into the water. Quadra Island also has many sheltered bays to explore and beautiful scenery to soak in.

Earlier this May we had the Dogwood Hiking group. Here’s what they said about their time at Taku and on Quadra:

” Taku proved to be the perfect spot for us to stay. The accommodations were great – they were very clean, extremely comfortable and quiet. The kitchens were well equipped for those who chose to make their breakfasts and prepare their lunches for the hikes. Those of us who stayed in the upper and lower Beach units particularly enjoyed the scenery and had sufficient space to be able to host our fellow hikers for happy hours prior to our evening meals – and we even got to take in the hockey games on TV! The stone house was a great gathering spot for our group Pot Luck dinner on our first evening there. We would highly recommend your resort to others.”

At the end of May we have a return visit from the Ripple Rock Power Squadron. They started coming a few years ago and enjoy the Taku facilities so much that they keep coming back sometimes twice a year. They have some of their group stay on their boats moored in the marina while others stay on land in some of the suites. At night they have their group parties together in the Stone House, which is perfect for pot luck dinners.

June is going to be a busy month too. The Cowichan Outdoor Club is bringing their group back for three nights. They are another loyal Taku guest, returning year after year exploring all the hiking trails Quadra has to offer. The island has a wonderful trail committee that keeps the trails well marked and safe. The trails range in ability from a flat short walk around Rebecca Spit Provincial Park to a few hour hike up through old growth forests and a rewarding view of Nugedzi Lake.

It’s always a pleasure to see our most loyal hiking group, the Nanaimo Tuesday Hikers. They have been coming to Taku for well over ten years. Needless to say that they never tire of Quadra island trails and are very satisfied with the service and amenities offered by Taku Resort.

We enjoy hosting all of these great groups and look forward to their annual visits.

Throughout the years we have always taken marine safety very seriously and depend on Mustang Survival products to keep our families and guests safe. On January 11th 2010, just one day after his 97th birthday, Irv Davies founder of Mustang Survival passed away peacefully in West Vancouver with his family by his side.

With great thanks to Mustang Survival, we have been kept safe during storms and warm while we waited hours for a fish to bite. They have brought people back to the dock safely after a kayak capsized in the harbour and provided us with safe fun times learning how to swim. There were also times of entertainment as we watched Milt try to dislodge a rope from the prop and suddenly the vest inflated as he reached into the water. Well at least we know it works and unfortunately it may not be the last time that will happen to him.

Thank you Irv for having the entrepreneurial spirit to come to Canada and create the first floater coat.

To read about Irv’s legacy go to http://mustangsurvival.com and click on his photo.

Our thoughts are with the Davies family.

Shayna Davies and I cruising in the Whaler to see the seals at the Bretons and playing coast guard. (1996ish?)

Monday afternoon we headed over to the Big Smoke to watch Milt carry the Olympic flame. It was incredible to see so many people gathered at the Tyee Plaza for this once in a life time event. Despite the cold and the light rain, the energy was spectacular. Peter Judge from the Canadian Freestyle team passed the flame to Milt while the Campbell River fire department brought out all their trucks, turned on the lights and hoisted a Canadian flag over the street. The 350 meter dash turned into a walk as the relay was early. This gave us lots of time to take photos and for Milt to wave at his fans. It was then time for Milt to pass the flame to Steve Nagle who we all then followed into the Tyee Plaza where the whole community was waiting.

The weekend cheering squad was Fei, Sarah, Liz, Jane & Icy Wong, Judi & Dave Korbin and Nicole, Lauren, Austin Chang. A special thanks to the Changs on their 4th visit to Taku since July, they drove up for one night and stayed late until the caldron was lit. Of course the event was followed by a great party with fresh Black Pearl oysters and mussels from Troy. A special thanks to Heather Owen with RBC for giving us this once in a life time opportunity and for taking Rudy out for a run.

Milt Wong, owner of Taku, was asked to carry the Olympic flame Nov. 2nd. He has been training for his 350m run and even took a 4 day trip to Beijing last week to get inspired. He has trained so hard that the very white track suit is too big, we may have to take it to Modernize Tailors to get it taken in.

To celebrate we’re offering a $20.10 nightly discount on Nov. 1st and 2nd 2009.

If you are in Campbell River enjoying the festivities Milt’s approximate time of running is 5:53 PM. Look for his torchbearer number on the route marker at the start of his relay segment, OTR004-173.

For those of you who can’t come to cheer him on, check back next week after I post photos of this exciting event.

Yet another beautiful summer at Taku with long days spent sitting outside enjoying a drink and the view, catching fish, playing tennis, picking berries and exploring. One family came three times throughout the summer. And to all the new comers, welcome to our hidden treasure. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us.

Just when we thought there was no hope of ever catching a tyee, this summer brought in many huge salmon caught just on the other side of Rebecca Spit. Ed Jordan our fishing guide from Sutil Charters helped his guests max out most mornings. Congratulations to you all who came in with some beautiful fish. Check all the photos on Facebook and you’ll see many of our guests happy as a clam with salmon all over 25lbs.

The playground was our big addition this summer. All the kids had so much fun climbing all over the little tug. We received over 40 entries to name that tug. And the name of the new playground is “Toot Toot Taku”, submitted by Calvin Cox. Congratulations Calvin and thank you to everyone who participated. We’d also like to recognize Mary Green who submitted “The Tug Ground”, Olivia with “Clover’s Watch” and Rhonda Warman with “No Chug Tug”.

One of our long time friends David Haughton has given us one of his prints of the beautiful view from the Beach House. It will be hung in the office for everyone to enjoy. He is selling them online and proceeds will be donated to the Quadra Island Hiking Trails. If you have any photos, art work or stories inspired by Taku, we’d love you to share them with us. Email them or post them on our Facebook page. Especially any back to school summer essays.

Great News! This year we are freezing our rates. We know how tough this past year has been for everyone and we want to help you keep doing what you enjoy.

Keep in touch and you’ll be the first to hear about our exclusive specials throughout the year. Be our fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our Blog. Leave us a review in the comment area below, on Facebook or Twitter and fill out the customer survey at the link below. As always, the fall season brings you many good discounts so stay tuned.

See you again soon,

Fei, Milt, Lynden, Liz, Sue, Rhonda, Sonia, Buddy and Richard and the rest of the Taku Crew

Every year we like to take the time in the winter to make improvements. Complete the survey and let us know how we can make your next stay more enjoyable.

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