Scottma: Yup, consulting was a great way for me to ease into what I think of as my "semi-retirement". I still do a little work here and there, but only with totally awesome clients doing the kind of stuff I want to do. (And because I could always _not_ do it, that gives me the leeway to set higher rates!) I strongly recommend it, particularly if you find clients who are flexible with time.
The funny thing is that I ended up making about as much consulting as I did with my full-time job, except I worked less than half the time and took a couple of month-long vacations in a year. Depending on how you set it up and whatever your tax laws are (I incorporated), you can draw just a little money out of your company and leave the rest in there.
