The exodus from Mission Bay RV Resort started on Friday. Many of the park sites were occupied by families with kids on their spring break. Some of the schools closed the week before Easter, others the week after. I think a few families wanted to get home and settled back in over the weekend. On Saturday, more left and on Sunday the place really emptied out – by the end of the day, the park was only 25% occupied.

Donna’s been busy preparing for the annual conference for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Rather than rehash the past couple of days which were very routine, I want to go into what’s coming up.

We’ll rent a car from Hertz this afternoon. Donna still gets the family discount from when her father worked at Hertz. On Wednesday morning, I’ll drive Donna to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles for the NAPO conference. I’m guessing it’ll be about a three-hour drive each way. I’d say the traffic is unpredictable, but in reality, I already know it’ll be slow in places. When I get back Wednesday afternoon, I’ll return the car. On Friday, I’ll pick up a rental car from Enterprise for the weekend. Enterprise often has weekend specials for just $9.99/day. I’ll use that car to go back to LA and pick up Donna on Sunday.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had to play bachelor for a few days or even a whole week since we hit the road. Donna’s work takes her away from time to time. There’s something else happening that I hinted about back in December. We were here in San Diego and ran into an old friend and former colleague, Skip Redmond, at the Little Italy Farmers’ Market. I wrote about it in this post.

I met Skip later that week for lunch in Pacific Beach. Skip is also a Volkswagen of America (VWoA) retiree. After he retired, he contracted with VWoA to do consulting work. He works with the dealer development group and travels to new VW dealers (or existing stores that change ownership and management) and helps them get set up to do business both with VWoA and the public. There are many things that need to be in place to ensure a smooth opening. Most of the time, the first week or so after a change in ownership or a new opening is a train wreck. Dealer communications with VWoA for support, warranty claim entry, parts orders, etc. need to be established beforehand. Also, a suggested starting parts inventory needs to be in place so cars can be serviced. This takes a lot of forethought as deadlines need to be met before the dealer opens.

Skip offered me a position as a consultant to assist with set-up of the parts and service departments. This work would entail a five- or six-day assignment on an infrequent basis (maybe every six to eight weeks). I have the experience after 35 years with Volkswagen and I’m qualified for the assignment. The pay is good. It’s an opportunity I can’t refuse. I should have a contract this week.

Next Monday, I’ll travel with Skip to a VW dealer in Valencia, California to help the new owner and management team prepare to open. It’ll be an on-the-job training trip for me. We’ll be there until Friday. Monday night will be the first time in 635 days that I won’t be sleeping in our RV. It’s also the first time in 21 months that I’ll be wearing business attire and hard-soled shoes. I’m feeling a little trepidation. I’ll need to buy some clothes and new shoes – but like I said, the pay is good and it won’t hurt to pad the nest egg.

This work could take me anywhere in the country. As long as I have some lead time, we’ll be able to adjust our schedule and stay in one place for a week with access to an airport. If nothing else, it’ll be an interesting experience. So that’s what’s been brewing since last December.