Additional auction suggestions

You can help us fill the auction with great items that will tickle the fancy of party-goers - and raise funds to support the BTA's work in 2006 and beyond.

We've offered suggestions - brainstormed by a fantastic group of 25 BTA members, volunteers, and board members - for lots of big items below. Don't worry, you don't have to have to be able to bring in the whole thing - smaller items for the silent auction, a part of a larger item, or a connection to a person who can donate an item can help!

Check through the list and contact Kristie with questions!

For guidance on how to ask for donations, see our solicitation tips.

Urban travel

• Guided French art museum tours
• New York City theater package for two (lodging offered already - entertainment needed!)
• Boston, DC or Chicago vacation:  lodging, entertainment, food
• European travel package
• Spa vacation
• Seattle hotel and train trip with weekend tour with bike rental
• Tickets to everything in Portland (theater, music, museums, etc.)
• Luxury week (6-8 people) in Ashland, with theatre, B&B or villa, etc.
• Portland underground tour

Bike-based trips

• Helicopter mountain biking in British Columbia (or anywhere)
• Ride across USA package
• Bike tour through any European country
• Supported mountain biking in choice locations
• Stephen Roche bike camp
• Bike tour through Australia
• Bike trip across Asia, China
• Tour de France package with accommodations, meals, Paris, Lance

Non-bike recreational travel

• Scuba diving in Belize
• Dance or folklore tour of Brazil
• Ski with Olympic Cross-Country Medalist
• Raft Middle Fork of Salmon or Colorado
• Yoga or meditation retreat
• Deep sea sport fishing
• Surfing package with lessons & gear -- in CA, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.
• Mountain skiing in Norway
• Golf lessons, play Pumpkin Ridge
• Backpack gear with food drops for Pacific Crest Trail
• Walking tour through English countryside with country inns
• Archeological dig trip
• New Zealand adventure bike and other package/Penguin Pedal
• Hike hut to hut on North New Zealand
• Kayak the San Juans, Baja or Alaska
• Sail or scuba through Galapagos or Greek islands
• Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
• Bird watching trip in Costa Rica
• Walkabout in Scotland
• Trip to Burning Man
• Mountain climb Kilimanjaro
• Cruise Antarctica
• Spanish immersion month in Spain, Cuba
• Moroccan music festival
• Ski packages
• Cruise anywhere
• Volunteer work packages for travelers
• Trip to Italy for 2006 Winter Olympics, Campagnolo and other places
• Scuba Diving in Indonesia, Thailand, etc.
• Northern lights and dogsled tour in Greenland/Iceland/Alaska
• Train trek through South Africa, Kenya, etc.
• Trek the Inca Trail
• Trek to Annapurna Sanctuary
• Japan hot springs tour
• Yucatan snorkeling / fishing trip

Destination lodging

• Methow Valley home for a month
• Mountain homes, coastal homes, vacation getaways, cabins, time shares, B&B stays, etc…. Just about anywhere!
• San Juans, Bend, Sun River, Ashland, San Francisco, Oregon Coast, California Coast (northern or southern), Colorado, Idaho, Montana, desert Southwest, etc.
• Live in Italy
• Year in Mexico
• Hood River food and lodging to combine with guided bike tour

Bikes and bike things

• Serrotta bike with Campi parts
• Day in bike designer's shop to build custom bike
• Bike frame painting
• Custom bike rack for home or business
• Top-of-the-line carbon fiber road bike
• full-suspension, high-end mountain bike
• New team (Discovery Channel) Jersey signed by Lance

Non-bike recreational things

• Sea or river kayak with associated gear
• Snowboard or ski equipment with passes and trainer
• Golf, rafting, surfing, climbing, or other recreational equipment

Famous people

• Steve Jobs day
• Tony Horowitz two-week travel opportunity; go with him researching next travel book
• Dinner at Higgins with Gus Van Sant
• Chris Carmichael training program
• Alberto Salazar for marathon training
• Work with great editor
• NYC dinner with David Sedaris
• Hang with Matt Groening
• Guest Voice in Simpson's program
• Screenwriting internship with Mike Rich
• Backstage pass and dinner with Joan Baez
• Weekend at Frank Sinatra's house
• Dinner with George Soros, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama
• Dinner with Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela
• Lunch with Earl Blumenauer
• Biking and dinner with Robin Williams
• Lunch with Linus Torvalds

Kid/teenager activities/camps/desires

• Space Camp
• Computer camp with emphasis on animation
• Video game designer internship
• Language immersion
• Apprenticeship at Will Vinton productions
• Apprenticeship at Weiden and Kennedy
• Apprenticeship at high-tech company
• A horse (& stall, tack, etc), or opportunity to spend a lot of time with a horse

For the home

• Kitchen remodel
• New roof and gutters
• Cedar siding
• Bamboo floors
• Twice-yearly deep clean of home
• Roof-top garden and deck
• Solar panels
• New bathroom
• Home theater
• Deck and hot tub
• Complete weather-proofing of house (windows, etc.)
• Eco-Upgrade to home
• Painters, inside or out
• Electricians, plumbers, contractors, carpenters
• Deluxe chicken coop (design/build)
• Landscaping: Plan, install, maintenance, plants, trees, shrubbery, irrigation, materials
• Mural painting in room

High-tech

• Overhaul home computer system, software, tech support, wi-fi network, etc.
• Day inside production at Pixar
• Insider's tour of Microsoft

Food-based

• Commercial grade espresso maker
• Dinners for four once/month for a year
• Dinner at French Laundry
• Catered parties
• Cooking school in Italy, France, etc. Portland, Paris, Cordon Bleu
• Sur la Table or Whole Foods kitchen goods gift certificate and pass for cooking lessons
• Japan culinary tour
• Dagoba Chocolate Co. factory tour and year's supply of chocolate

Alcohol-based

• Basement brew pub: equipment & lessons
• Deschutes brewery beer for a year
• Fine wine
• Case of Screaming Eagle cabernet
• Brewery Tour of Oregon
• Willamette Valley vineyards tour
• Belgium brewery tour with stop at Eddie Mercx

Other activities/lessons

• Recording studio time with musicians
• Flying lessons
• Internship with glass blower
• Gibson guitar and private lessons with Eric Clapton or at Artichoke Music
• Private dance lessons
• Computer setup, etc. for silkscreen production
• Bead store shopping sprees and basic jewelry making lessons

Personal care

• Deluxe foot pampering and the Barefoot Sage (monthly)
• Massage once/month for a year
• Health services
• Acupuncture for a year
• Feng Shui consulting
• Resort to Fitness membership
• YWCA membership
• A year of haircuts/styles

Other things

• Clothes shopping spree
• New guitar
• Sports car
• Musical instruments
• Rolex watch
• Original artwork
• Harley Davidson motorcycle
• Custom wedding gown

Miscellaneous

• Year of unlimited downloads from i-tunes, personal download manager
• Rolling Stones at my party
• Personal assistant for a year, errands, etc
• Private plane rides to vacation destinations (to combine with lodging in the San Juans, Bend, etc.)
• Credit at book stores, for BTA to get books to bundle with other items.
• Credit at frame shops, for BTA to frame donated art & historic posters
• Frequent flier miles
• Credit at multi-purpose stores (ie: Fred Meyer), to get misc. items to combine with other packages