Hello there! I thought I'd pop in with an update on how things are going in Livermore.

First, the weather. The weather in Livermore has been colder than expected, but overall it's really nice, especially for outdoor activities. The highs have been around 70 and the lows have been in the 50s, and unlike Columbia, the low is reached not long after dark and evenings are windy. We have heard that temperatures do get into the 90s and up at times... We'll see!

We have found a couple of nice hiking trails and parks in the area, which has been great since we don't have a yard to let Sammie out in. There are a lot of ground squirrels (Sammie thinks these are much more exciting than regular tree squirrels) in the hiking areas, so we can't let her off leash too much, depending on what's around. She'd be gone!

• There is a local doughnut shop that is open 24/7. One of their specialties is red velvet doughnuts.
• There are lots of paved biking/walking trails throughout town, as well as bike lanes and sidewalks beside the roads. The roads are really wide and people always stop for pedestrians.
• Overall, there is a vibe of family-friendliness and safety. (This is very different from San Francisco and parts of Oakland and Berkeley.) I've seen several kids here riding their bikes alone, which I don't see very often in Columbia.
• There are tons of wineries. We haven't been to any yet because we've been busy visiting other places, but we plan to soon.