The obstacles include both a shortage of steam turbines and water, a lack of transmission lines, and how to keep all that desert dust off the mirrors. Interesting.

Then of course there’s NIMBYs who want clean, renewable power as long as none of it is anyplace they can see it. Sure, some projects, like coal, are evil need to be stopped, but many other types of power are clean and not intrusive. They need to be supported.

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While a staggering number, this might also represent some kind of bottom. I mean, seriously, it’s hard to imagine that things could get worse than having 63% of all residential real estate on the market being distressed.

I’m not saying we’ll have a quick V bottom and recovery. Quite the contrary, we may well see several more months of this, maybe a year, in areas like San Diego. But a bottom does appear to be forming.

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It has two wheels side by side and gyroscopic balancing. Still a prototype, the inventor is looking for funding. Looks fun to ride!

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The bank for the buyer’s mortgage still hasn’t given clear to close, so the escrow close will be late. This happens quite a lot more now. Banks are extra cautious now, checking everything, a far cry indeed from a a few years ago when if you could fog a mirror, you got the mortgage quickly with no checking.

Our lawyer (in CT, lawyers handle the real estate closing transaction) says he sees no problem. His paralegal says she’s never seen a deal fall through at this point. Perhaps most reassuringly, when I explained the details to a long time friend and savvy real estate broker who is not involved in the transaction, he saw no warning signs, and said relax and enjoy your weekend, it’ll close soon.

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