Today, we are flying to Monterey. Our mission is to watch the house there, while Chris enjoys a much-needed vacation, but why he would not spring for an alarm, is a mystery to me. Still, we will make the best of it and enjoy our wonderful accommodations while we can. My hope that when we got the house under contract that the heavens would part and we would have smooth sailing until closing have already been dashed. It looks like it will be a slough until the end.

As counterpoint, I am reminded of the scene in the movie Under a Tuscan Sun, where Diane Lane is sitting with an Italian official, closing on her villa. She is handed the keys and she asks, “Just like that?” The official replies, “It’s a house, not a Vespa. What are you going to do, steal it?” Things are not so simple here.