When you travel as much as I do, it's difficult to find a place that feels like home. But I've managed by making libraries my home away from home.

Yesterday afternoon, Shelby and I stopped in the Albany Library to wait out the 5 p.m. traffic before heading on to Portland. Libraries are great places -- cool, bathrooms are always clean, with free Internet access and plenty of reading material to while away a couple of hours.

I was reading the USAToday when I noticed Shelby sitting at my computer, chatting with some fellow in a camo cap. She's 25 so it's not like she needs my intervention, but I was finished with the paper and I did want my computer, so I nudged my way back to my chair and into the conversation.

Bryce, he said. "My parents named me after a canyon."

Not many who can say that.

I happen to know the canyon. It's in Utah.

Over the next 20 minutes Shelby and I learned that Bryce is an electrician apprentice, "Only a year till I'm a journeyman." He grew up in Roseburg, home of Dutch Brothers Coffee, OSU alums. His grandfather helped restore an 1800 fiddle. He has a twin sister named Bethany. He's read Faust. He's Catholic. And "My mama is teaching me things."

"What kind of things?" I asked.

"How to communicate better," he said.

Oh, yeah. He claimed his mama mated with a bear and that's how come the facial hair. I didn't really believe him, but I did believe him when he said that his mama and daddy thought he was a good fella. He was witty and had a fun laugh. He laughed especially hard when I told him to google my name and he read the part of my bio online where I said I grew up in a trailer park. He quit laughing, though, when he read the part that said I had been on CNN.

Bryce asked Shelby and me to join him for dinner at Abby's pizza. And we might would have if not for having to catch that flight to Nashville in about 30 minutes from now.

He asked Shelby if he could borrow her phone. I knew it was a ploy to get her number. But she handed him the phone, after I said it was OK, and then he called me.

Bryce, I know older women are the new 30s, but I'm happily married. Shelby, however, is still waiting for that phone call.

Her daddy always told her you meet the nicest fellows in the library...