Ted has conked out next to me. Asa is snoring softly in his sleeping bag. Nell has decamped for her pal Emily's tent and seems to be staying put. All the lanterns are out, but my sandman is nowhere in sight. I'm obsessed with the pelican-like shadows flapping up and down on the wall of our tent. I'm also obsessed with the dampness of the air, the wind—who knew it was so noisy out here?—and the fact that while my body feels warm, my nose, wet like a dog's, is freezing. The beauty of backyard camping is, of course, that you can go home at any time. So I wander into our living room in my pj's. Four parents, discreetly HS221 clad in sweatpants and T-shirts, are drinking beer and discussing the state of the world. "How do you pronounce Al Qaeda?" I grab bottles of water to distribute outside each tent, consider a wool hat, and dive back into my sleeping bag. This is our third backyard campout and, at a total of 29 people (ages two and up) and nine tents, our biggest. These events, planned only a week or so ahead, somehow always happen in the fall—after school has started and there are no vacations around the bend, but before we've adjusted to the fact that summer is over. We live close to Manhattan and are extremely lucky to have a large patch of grass and trees, which we share with four other families. But wilderness is hardly a requirement. What does come in handy are an outdoor grill, a sandbox (for staging a campfire—we simply turn over our Weber cover, push sand around it, line it with heavy tinfoil, toss in the hot coals, and grab our sticks, hot dogs, and s'more fixings), a few Coleman lanterns for ambience, and a friend or two who can play guitar and get everyone to sing. Of course you also need sleeping bags, padding (gym mats do the trick), pillows (run inside for more!), and tents. Revelation: The latest designs don't weep when touched from the inside. Another revelation: Everyone knows someone with camping gear to loan, and in every family there's one person who is exceptionally capable of pitching a tent, even if he or she doesn't know it.

The campers arrive in the late afternoon and stake their spots. While the kids collect sticks, we start the campfire, along with a grill for the hot-dog alternatives—chicken, spicy sausages, potato slices, and leeks (in foil)—and nab someone to toss together salads. A few hours later we all have marshmallow in our hair as we try to spot the Dippers. Would that I could tell you about the moon rising, the end-of-season katydids, the smell of the grass—I'm always too busy running inside for more ice, wondering where I stashed the Glow Sticks, making sure Ted puts enough salt and olive oil on the potatoes.

The kids sleep just fine. The adults can be thankful for a few fitful hours, though a certain doctor managed to clock eight hours, leave at dawn to do his rounds, and return for breakfast: challah French toast straight out of the kitchen, Granny Smith apples à la Peter Kohlmann (buttered slices rolled in cinnamon sugar and cooked on the grill), orange juice, coffee. No one's ever bailed out in the middle of the night, but everything is optional. (A morning-after poll revealed that only 65 percent of participants brushed their teeth the night before.) And everyone always says they want to come back next year. HEADING OUT BACK? Pick up some ideas from these guides (all available through Amazon.com):Kids Camp! Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness by Laurie Carlson and Judith Dammel (Chicago Review Press, $12.95)The Kids Campfire Book by Jane Drake and Ann Love (Kids Can Press, $10.95)Backyard Roughing It Easy by Dian Thomas (Dian Thomas Co., $14.99)

The chambermaid couldn't resist. She had to peek inside Madame's cosmetics bag. (After all, it was her job to pack up the suite by checkout.) There it was, lying open on the marble vanity, contents scattered. Next to it was the gentleman's dop kit. The couple had caused quite a stir in the hotel lobby when they arrived. So tall, so American. It was obvious, even to a complete imbecile like Henri the porter, who risked being fired by asking Madame for her autograph, that they were as extraordinary as the newspapers reported. And she had simply laughed when he noticed her, because everyone always clamored for Monsieur. Pulling a clipping from her apron pocket, the maid looked at the photos again: Madame backstage at the Lagerfeld show; in London, lunching at Aubergine with Anouska Hempel and David Linley. With her gentleman at the grande fête for the Venice Biennale. (How did she get her hair to do that?) Always traveling for her new collection, his next film. As she gathered the toiletries into a neat pile, the maid decided: That explains why there is such a mélange in their bags. Razor Sharp shave gel by Philosophy. Agnès B lipstick. Naturopathica lavender stress-relief oil. Inside Madame's sleek Louis Vuitton bag were provocative Chanel colors: Tabou Nightlight Burgundy and Fracas Daylight Crystal eye shadows, Mauve Ice mascara. She couldn't wait to tell her sister. And she had heard from Philippe the valet that they shared everything. Even eau de toilette?She picked up a bottle and read the label: Eau de Campagne, from Sisley in Paris. The maid sprayed a bit on her wrist.

The scent was très…unisexe. She found a damp bottle of shampoo in the shower and carefully wiped it off. It would be a crime to soil the handsome leather of Monsieur's bag. For an American, his toilette was oddly English. D.R. Harris & Co. toothbrush, Joris razor, a shaving brush. Perhaps his next film was to take place in London?At least he favored sweet almond soap from L'Occitane, made near her family's house in Provence. On the tub, the couple had left a small bottle of bath oil—the label read: Jo Malone Nutmeg & Ginger. She wondered, looking intently at the oval bath, if they ever employed it à deux. There was a blue vial of Naturopathica Honey Vanilla lip balm and a petite Perfumes Isabell Garden Herbs candle in a glass votive. Voilà! The wick was burnt. As a key rattled in the lock, the maid zipped up the cases and laid them with the luggage for Henri to take down in the service lift. No one would catch her. Not this time. Women's Bag Louis Vuitton Cannes Epi leather bag* Chanel mauve mascara* Acca Kappa biodegradable toothbrush* Jo Malone skin serum with protein* Relax smelling salts* Hermès sterling silver pillbox * Ad Hoc compact magnifying mirror* Soap from the Hempel hotel, London * Grandiflorum solid perfumes: Floral Ambrette and Balsamic Velvet* Acca Kappa aluminum comb* Shu Uemura retractable sable makeup brush Men's Bag Connolly leather wash bag * Descamps terry bath mitt* Kiehl's everyday shampoo* Bone-handled toothbrush and Pick-Me-Up tonic, from D.R. Harris & Co. * Acca Kappa eucalyptus toothpaste * David Hayward shaving brush * Joris chrome razor* Erno Laszlo moisturizing lotion* Body Maintenance shaving salt* L'Occitane soap and travel tin* Agua camphor face mask SOAP DISH When a hotel or resort spa creates its own toiletries, it's hard to leave them behind. At checkout time, tuck these into your bag: * Lavender-scented bath oil, soap, and eau de cologne pro vided in guest rooms at the 13th-century Château de Bagnols, near Lyons (33-4/74-71-40-00). * Exquisite passion-fruit soap, bath gel, body lotion, and shampoo from Anouska Hempel's new hotel in London, the Hempel (44-171/298-9000). China brass wire Manufacturers * Agua bath products, created for the rooftop spa and guest rooms of the Delano hotel, in Miami Beach (800/555-5001). * High Altitude Massage oil from the Peaks Resort and Spa, perfect after a day on the slopes of Telluride (800/789-2220).

Warmer spring weather certainly calls for more fun in the fun, especially if you’re a whale. Dana Point Whale Watching Captain Frank Brennan was on the waters off the coast of Orange County, California when he spotted two gray whales, so he sent up his drone camera to get a better look. What he found was truly an adorable sight to behold. The two gray whales were swimming and twirling along with a pod of white-sided dolphins in the crystal clear waters, almost as if they were playing a game. Related: You Can Swim — and Sing — With Adorable Beluga Whales in Canada “The pair of gray whales could care less about the pesky Pacific white-sided dolphin pod," Brennan told Patch.com.

They could not be bothered.” “The same pair were rolling around with a pod of common dolphins earlier in the day. One thing's for sure, these dolphins brass rods Manufacturers love the gray whales,” he added. Captain Dave Anderson of Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari told Patch that his tour also spotted the fun sight near Laguna Beach. "I don't think I've ever seen whales play like this, and I've been doing this for 17 years," he said, calling the twirling and jumping an act of courtship. The gray whales are currently in their migration period, which can be observed along the coast of Orange County.

China brass wire Suppliers When you check into a hotel, you naturally want a clean room. But if you want a science-fiction-scary clean room, look to Hyatt. The hotel chain recently introduced its Respire rooms, which are sterilized, sanitized, antisepticized, and deodorized to the extreme. They're so clean you're unlikely to find so much as dust mite feces under the decorative pillow shams. "We basically kill all living organisms in the room," said Brian Brault, chief executive officer of Pure Solutions, the company behind the purified rooms. Presumably he was referring to mold, fungi, bacteria, and viruses -- not hotel guests. Other individual hotels have used the Pure Solutions technology, but Hyatt will be the first chain to offer the rooms at all of its properties in North America, including the Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, and Andaz brands.

The project, which was formally announced to the media this week, will require a significant investment. "It costs $2400 for a two-year program to convert a room and for ongoing maintenance," said Tom Smith, vice president of rooms for Hyatt's North American operations. "We expect to charge a premium of between $20 and $30 a night for a Respire room. When you book on Hyatt.com, it will be one of the room choices." Pure Solutions' patented cleaning process begins with the air-handling system. Technicians deep-clean and disinfect the air system's mechanical parts and install tea tree oil cartridges to keep out mold. A high-ozone shock treatment kills all living organisms (and their odors). Finally, hard surfaces are disinfected and soft surfaces are sanitized. But how do they maintain that decontaminated environment from one guest stay to another and another? "A bacteriostatic barrier is applied to everything in the room to prevent contaminants from attaching themselves to anything," Brault explained. (If only Sigourney Weaver had had this technology in Alien.) "We install a medical-grade air purifier that filters out 99.97% of all particulates that are .3 microns or larger. A human hair is around 200 microns. The system filters out 98% to 100% of viruses and bacteria. Then we encase the mattresses and pillows to protect against dust mites." The rooms are maintained and re-certified every six months. Hyatt expects to have 2,000 hypo-allergenic Respire rooms available across its 125 full-service North American properties by the end of 2010. Smart Traveler Mark Orwoll is the International Editor of Travel + Leisure.