Do I really need an excuse to sleep in a tent?

I received an email from the folks at Sierra Designs last week asking if I would test a new tent. "Of course," I responded. "Any night in a tent is a good night."

A few days later the tent arrived at my office. I set it up right away, inside. I don't want to give away too many details, but let me say that it was a bit bigger than my small little office. Obviously, I would need a more suitable venue

You would think that after spending months of my life in small nylon spaces I would prefer a nice roof and bed. But that's not really the case and I'm not sure why. I love sleeping in tents and always seem to sleep better outside. This new tent was my excuse to be outside and breath deep lungfuls of crisp fall air. I would also get sit by by a campfire and watch nearly full moon rise over Lake Superior. (See picture with the tent purposely cropped out).

Yesterday with my tent evaluation completed, I decided to set the new tent up in my back yard - one more time. I told myself it was, you know, just to check a few minor details. But there it sat - all day in a square of mowed grass, perfectly staked out. How could I resist?

I woke up sometime in the early morning to the soft muffled drops of rain on the tent fly. My favorite sound. A few houses down, a car door slammed, farther off a dog barked. I thought about all the office work I needed to do and how I should be getting up too.

But a funny thing happened as I lay there listening to the rain. I fell asleep.