I got starstruck in Pawhuska!  Yes, that is indeed MARLBORO MAN — the Pioneer Woman’s handsome husband. Our holiday travels took us to Oklahoma to visit family and while there we made the trek to Pawhuska– Pioneer Woman territory.  If you watch her show on the Food Network, you know all about Ree Drummond and her life with Marlboro Man.  My sister-in-law and I couldn’t believe it when we walked through the door of the Mercantile and saw Ladd standing right there! He couldn’t have been nicer, posing for photos with us and many others. And I am sure he has had his photo taken millions of times!  My husband- always the reporter- was chatting with those who run the Merc and was told that six-thousand people wander through this amazing store every day. Six thousand!  And there is much to see: beautiful decor, fabulous tableware, clothes, boots, hats, toys.  You’ll see Emily holding her souvenir from this trip– a stuffed eagle we bought at the Merc.  She named it “Eagle Flying”, which we all decided was a fitting name with an Oklahoma/indian twist to it. Along with the restaurant there is a bakery up on the second floor, an enticing candy bar and a lounge area where people can take time to just sit and enjoy themselves. I love this article and video Southern Living did on PW and the Merc.  https://www.countryliving.com/life/travel/news/a41912/ree-drummond-oklahoma-store-insane-amount-visitors/

And let us not forget about food. Pioneer Woman food. We arrived in Pawhuska early that day but already there was a long wait for her restaurant at the Merc. BUT, P-Town across the street was just opening and that was fantastic! We stopped for a quick photo in front of the cute Christmas tree decorated on the corner ( everything in this little square block is darling)  and headed on up the stairs to P-Town.  The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, and the food was delicious. We started off with a caesar salad topped off with warm croutons. Pioneer Woman calls them Not-Knots.  I call them “the-most-delicious-topping-to-a-ceaser-salad-EVER!   I could have eaten about a thousand of them.  We ordered both the pepperoni pizza and the Pizza-Ree-A.  It’s a veggie pizza with basil pesto, mozzarella and fontina cheeses, plus baby tomatoes in balsamic and all topped off with fresh basil and melted goat cheese. DELICIOUS!!! As Phil was gobbling down the slices from heaven he kept asking me: “Could YOU make this?”  I said sure, with a wink.  We, along with my brother and sister-in-law loved the place.  Emily thought it was pretty good too, actually eating two whole slices of pizza.  She’s never been a big pizza lover, unlike her mama.

After lunch we strolled around, checking out Pioneer Woman’s hotel- the Boarding House. Well, we checked out the lobby. And chatted with the nice woman at the desk.  I loved the tree in the window and the wall art.  Emily loved the free newspapers. https://www.pwboardinghouse.com  While the Boarding House gets booked a year in advance, there will be another stay available as a second hotel will be opening. We of course, had to take a look at that lobby too.  It’s beautiful. The original floors, the magnificent light fixtures, the color on the wall. Gorgeous.

While all this was really wonderful, the best part of our Pawhuska adventure came at the end of our visit.  The Lodge is where Pioneer Woman films her Food Network show.  And on this day, they had it opened for tours- free tours by the way. Not only was it so fun to see the kitchen where Ree Drummond whips up her meals– fit for cowboys!– The Lodge brings back special memories for my husband and his family.  Back when Phil was a boy, he and his parents and his four siblings would make the drive from Stillwater to Pawhuska to visit the Coddings.  Charles Codding ran one of the leading cattle research ranches in the country.   Every New Year’s Eve/Day the Coddings and the Rogers would get together at the ranch. ( So fitting we were at the ranch during the holiday)  The kids got to see the animals and learn all about the groundbreaking techniques in cattle research like bovine in vitro. Remember, this was decades ago!  Phil and his brother Paul talk of the great times they all enjoyed exploring the expansive lodge and grounds, plus miles of beautiful prairie. As time passed, the Codding Ranch was sold to the Drummonds.  Yep, you know where this is going.  That same lodge where the Pioneer Woman now cooks is where Phil and his family spent many treasured times. There’s a photo in the gallery of Phil holding an old photo taken at the ranch on one of those New Year’s Days.

He and his brother Paul enjoyed being at the lodge so much.  They were once again, those little boys off exploring every inch of the place.  Of course there are massive updates and wonderful changes that have been made, but overall the lodge is much like they remember.  Another reason why Ree Drummond is such a treasure.  From the lodge, to the Merc and P-Town, and the boarding house.  She puts her own mark on these structures while at the same time makes it a priority to preserve history.  She blogged about the Lodge changes here: https://thepioneerwoman.com/lifestyle_cat/the-lodge/

I really enjoy watching the Pioneer Woman and will now love it even more.  She’s done so much for that little Oklahoma town and I have a feeling there’s a lot more on her to-do list.  If you ever get the opportunity, I suggest heading to Pawhuska and PW territory!  As I wrap this up, I’m adding a few extra photos at the end of this gallery. Can’t leave out our must-do visit to Eskimo Joe’s, OSU and Theta Pond where Emily is always thrilled ( as are the ducks) to bring along a bag or two of treats.  A big thank you to her Aunt Mary Kaye for keeping that old bread handy 🙂

Happy New Year!

Candace