Wednesday, March 19, 2025

A Drifting Cowboy's Yarns & Tall Tales



“A Drifting Cowboy's Yarns & Tall Tales“


Jerry England's personal adventures, as chronicled in the collection A Drifting Cowboy's Yarns & Tall Tales on his blog, paint a vivid portrait of a life steeped in the rugged, nomadic ethos of the American West—blending hands-on equestrian escapades, youthful frontier-style explorations, and reflective pursuits in art, history, and family legacy. 


Rather than sensationalized exploits, these yarns emphasize a grounded, enduring passion for horses, open landscapes, and self-reliant living, often shared nostalgically for his grandsons' edification. 


At their core, the stories reveal a man who views himself as inherently "a cowboy at heart," shaped by both direct experiences and an inherited fur trade and ranching heritage spanning 12 generations across North America.


Key facets of his adventures include:


Youthful Mountain Idylls in the 1950s Sierra Nevada: At age 15, the author relocated from urban Los Angeles to a remote, wood-heated cabin near Oakhurst, California, embracing a semi-wild existence amid Yosemite's shadows. Daily life involved chopping oak and pine for the fireplace, drilling wells for water and livestock, hunting deer and quail with a revolver and rifle from horseback, and fly-fishing for trout in the Fresno River just steps from home. Riding his red-dun gelding Sandy along forested trails or Highway 41, he navigated bear sightings at the dump, power outages lit by candlelight, and grueling school bus commutes through snow—adventures that felt like "heaven" for a horse-loving teen, fostering resilience and a deep bond with the land.


Decades of Equestrian Cowboy Life in California: Over 25 years in Chatsworth, the author immersed himself in a full-spectrum cowboy routine, logging thousands of trail rides, parade marches, and horse-camping outings across the West. He owned a rotating herd of equine companions—like the long-lived paint Zinger (ridden in ocean surf at Morro Bay), the Montana-bred Sunup, and the competitive Quarter Horse Kasidy May (partner in mounted shooting events spanning Arizona to Colorado). These escapades extended to organizing the annual "Chatsworth Day of the Horse" event, trading vintage saddles and trappings, and weathering herd life through wind, illness, and loss, all while balancing family caregiving amid health challenges in his late 70s.


Creative and Reflective Wanderings: Beyond the saddle, adventures unfold through canoeing echoes of his voyageur ancestors, crafting cowboy folk art (e.g., "Cowboy Chic" furniture inspired by Western films), and authoring books like Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas on Hollywood ranch locations. A formative 1950 visit to a Montana "stump ranch" ignited his lifelong fixation, teaching him to ride amid tales of Lewis and Clark, while genealogy dives connect his carpentry, soldiering, and writing to ancestral blacksmiths, teamsters, and trappers—framing modern drifts as continuations of that legacy.


Overall, these tales evoke a drifting yet rooted odyssey: not of outlaws or gunfights, but of quiet mastery over horses and history, where personal grit meets cultural reverence, underscoring the author's wry conviction that he "should've been a cowboy" all along. (courtesy of Grok AI)


MOLESWORTH INSPIRED FURNITURE by Jerry England (1989-2002)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2021/04/cowboy-chic-funiture-by-lure-of-dim.html


Cowboy Culture -- Mormon Canyon Trail

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-culture-mormon-canyon-trail.html


Cowboy Culture -- Recollections of Mountain Living

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/07/cowboy-culture-recollections-of-1950s.html


Cowboy Legacy -- First Deer Hunt

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/11/cowboy-legacy-first-deer-hunt.html


Cowboy Culture -- A boy, a river, and a fox in a box

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-boy-river-and-fox-in-box.html


Cowboy Legacy -- Be all you can

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-legacy-be-all-you-can.html


Cowgirls love jet pilots -- especially when they call you mom

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowgirls-love-jet-pilots-especially.html


Father and son Western history adventure

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/father-and-son-western-history.html


What does a Chemical Neurobiologist and an old Cowboy have in common?

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-does-chemical-neurobiologist-and.html


Growing up cowboy -- in the San Fernando Valley

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/growing-up-cowboy-in-san-fernando.html


Cowboy Legacy -- Great-grandsons of the West

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-legacy-great-grandsons-of-west.html


Cowboy Culture -- Making of a cowgirl

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-making-of-cowgirl.html


Happy Independence Day [2012]

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-independence-day.html


Cowboy Legacy, Family & Ancestry

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/cowboy-legacy-family-ancestry.html


Cowboy Legacy -- Pistol Packin' Momma

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/cowboy-legacy-pistol-packin-momma.html


Cowboy Culture -- And the soccer tribe

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-and-soccer-tribe.html


Cowboy Culture -- Living fifty years with coach dogs

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-culture-living-fifty-years-with.html


COGGESHALL — FROM JOLLY OL’ ENGLAND TO WILD WEST MONTANA

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2021/03/coggeshall-from-jolly-ol-england-to.html


Sporting Collectibles -- Canoes

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2022/08/sporting-collectibles-canoes.html


CHATSWORTH MOVIES — updated 2024

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/05/chatsworth-movies-updated-links.html


The Trade... Papoose Board for a Winchester

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-trade-paiute-cradleboard-winchester.html


NOSTALGIC LOOK BACK AT WALNUT ACRES (aka Woodland Hills, CA) between 1953 - 1957

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/12/nostalgic-look-back-at-walnut-acres-aka.html


JOHN BATTERSON STETSON (1830-1906) THE INVENTOR OF THE COWBOY HAT

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/04/john-batterson-stetson1830-1906.html


SHOULD’VE BEEN A COWBOY

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2024/05/shouldve-been-cowboy.html


2024 Chatsworth Holiday Parade

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2024/12/2024-chatsworth-holiday-parade.html


Chatsworth's Garden of the Gods Park

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/chatsworths-garden-of-gods-park.html


AHWAHNEE IS AN INTERESTING WORD

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/ahwahnee-is-interesting-word.html


LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/life-liberty-and-pursuit-of-happiness.html


MARIPOSA TRAIL

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/mariposa-trail.html


THE SCOURGE OF THE WEST

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-scourge-of-west.html


OL' SUNUP

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/sunup.html


MEMORIES OF OL' MONTANA

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/memories-of-ol-montana.html


THE ANOMALY

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-anomaly_97.html


WHERE’D YOU GET THOSE WOOLY CHAPS?

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/whered-you-get-those-wooly-chaps.html


NOSTALGIA AND RIDING DEVIL'S CANYON, CHATSWORTH

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/nostalgia-and-riding-devils-canyon.html


CHATSWORTH AND HORSES, 25 YEARS LATER

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/chatsworth-and-horses-25-years-later.html


SOMETIMES MY SON IS GOOD KARMA

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/sometimes-my-son-is-good-karma.html


British Legacy -- Collecting antique woodworking tools

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/british-legacy-collecting-antique.html


Bronco Billy

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/bronco-billy.html


Memorial Day -- Honoring those who gave everything

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/memorial-day-honoring-those-who-gave.html


Family history mystery photographs

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/06/family-history-mystery-photographs.html


Museum of the San Fernando Valley

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/museum-of-san-fernando-valley.html


Horses and Movies Forever linked

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/horses-and-movies-forever-linked.html


San Fernando Valley Horses and Movies Are Forever Linked

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/san-fernando-valley-horses-and-movies.html


Cowboy Mounted Shooting only has two enemies, rust and liberal politicians

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/cowboy-mounted-shooting-only-has-two.html


Have you ever played Cowboys and Eskimos?

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/have-you-ever-played-cowboys-and.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Why carry a sharp knife

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/best-way-to-untie-panicked-horse-is.html


Whiskey and horses don't mix -- tequila might kill you

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/whiskey-and-horses-dont-mix-tequila.html


Canadian whiskey and the paint mare

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/canadian-whiskey-and-paint-mare.html


Growing up cowboy -- in the San Fernando Valley

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/growing-up-cowboy-in-san-fernando.html


Cowabunga -- the surf's up, dude

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/cowabunga-surfs-up-dude.html


Cowboy Culture -- Horses vs Houses

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/cowboy-culture-horses-vs-houses.html


Cowboy Culture -- Cowboy's lament

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/cowboy-culture-cowboys-lament.html


Cowboy Culture -- Unlikely compañeros

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-unlikely-companeros.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Don't use a mare to lead a pack string

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-wisdom-dont-use-mare-to-lead.html


Cowboy Legacy -- Belgian horses

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-legacy-belgian-horses.html


Cowboy Culture -- working cowboys

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-working-cowboys.html


Good 'Uns -- horses, trails, and friends

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-uns-horses-trails-and-friends.html


Cowboy Culture -- Metrolink trains

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-metrolink-trains.html


Cowboy curiosity -- Little horses, big personalities

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-curiosity-little-horses-big.html


Cowboy Culture -- Tony Alvis was the genuine article

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-tony-alvis-was-genuine.html


Cowboy Culture -- A "bombproof horse" anyone can ride

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-bombproof-horse-anyone.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Halters and horse sense

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-wisdom-halters-and-horse-sense.html


Cowboy Culture -- My 777 plan

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-my-777-plan.html


Cowboy Culture -- First time in a pasture

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-first-time-in-pasture.html


Cowboy Culture -- Zinger a son of Far Ute Keno

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-zinger-son-of-far-ute.html


Learning about Blackfeet and Buffalo

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/learning-about-blackfeet-and-buffalo.html


A rose between two thorns -- and other interesting characters

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/rose-between-two-thorns-and-other.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- The most dangerous horse

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-wisdom-most-dangerous-horse.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Horse sense or credit where it isn't always due

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-wisdom-horse-sense-or-credit.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Speak softly and carry a big stick

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-wisdom-speak-softly-and-carry.html


They don't make cowboys like Joe Beeler anymore

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/they-dont-make-cowboys-like-joe-beeler.html


Barn Dances -- I've been to a few

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/barn-dances-ive-been-to-few.html


Cowboy Heroes -- Jo Mora

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-heroes-jo-mora_13.html


Cowboy Heroes -- Charles Marion Russell

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-heroes-charles-marion-russell.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Never trust a ground-tied pack mule

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-wisdom-never-trust-ground-tied.html


Cowboy bars, saloons, and watering holes, but not honky-tonks

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-bars-saloons-and-watering-holes.html


New owner at the "Crossroads Saloon"

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-owner-at-crossroads-saloon.html


Never miss a chance to tell a good tall tale

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/never-miss-chance-to-tell-good-tall.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- High altitude conditioning for horses

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/cowboy-wisdom-high-altitude.html


Cowboy Culture -- Getting back to my roots at Parada del Sol

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/cowboy-culture-getting-back-to-my-roots.html


Miles City, Montana -- Range Rider Museum

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/miles-city-montana-range-rider-museum.html


Wild horses and the "Loneliest Road in America"

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/wild-horses-and-loneliest-road-in.html


Road trip -- White Sulphur Springs, Montana

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/road-trip-white-sulphur-springs-montana.html


Cowboy Culture -- Six degrees of separation and Baleyn

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/cowboy-culture-six-degrees-of.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Beware of shape-shiftin' trails

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/cowboy-wisdom-beware-of-shape-shiftin.html


Cowboy Culture -- Songs of the range

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/02/cowboy-culture-songs-of-range.html


Sunday, April 22 -- Chatsworth`s Day of The Horse

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunday-april-22-chatsworths-day-of.html


Museum of the San Fernando Valley

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/museum-of-san-fernando-valley.html


Horses and Movies Forever linked

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/horses-and-movies-forever-linked.html


San Fernando Valley Horses and Movies Are Forever Linked

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/san-fernando-valley-horses-and-movies.html


Best Cowboy Knife Ever -- Buck Horseman's Knife

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/10/best-cowboy-knife-ever-buck-horsemans.html


Cowboy Heroes -- Philip R. Goodwin

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/cowboy-heroes-philip-r-goodwin.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Avoid Bees

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/01/cowboy-wisdom-avoid-bees.html


Cowboy Collectibles -- Watches and Fobs

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/01/cowboy-collectibles-watches-and-fobs.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Carry your Six-Gun On An Empty Chamber

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/01/cowboy-wisdom-carry-your-six-gun-on.html


Cowboy Collectibles -- Horse Themed Watch Fobs

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/03/cowboy-collectibles-horse-themed-watch.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Trail Tack Repairs

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/06/cowboy-wisdom-trail-tack-repairs.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Good-Bye Old Pal

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/10/cowboy-wisdom-good-bye-old-pal.html


Chinese (zodiac) Year of the Horse

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/12/chinese-zodiac-year-of-horse.html


Learning To Ride A Horse -- Safely

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/06/learning-to-ride-horse-safely.html


Adios Cash, vaya con Dios

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2014/03/adios-cash-vaya-con-dios.html


Horse Themed Watch Fob -- Woodbury Whips

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2014/01/horse-themed-watch-fob-woodbury-whips.html


Cowboy Collectibles -- More Horse Themed Watch Fobs

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/09/cowboy-collectibles-more-horse-themed.html


Visiting Col. William F. Cody's TE Ranch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/04/visiting-col-william-f-codys-te-ranch.html


A Cowboy's Answer To The Eternal Question

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-cowboys-answer-to-eternal-question.html


Meetin' Wild Bill On His Calabasas Ranch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/02/meetin-wild-bill-on-his-calabasas-ranch.html


Hey Cowboy -- Sometimes Karma is a Bitch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/01/hey-cowboy-sometimes-karma-is-bitch.html


Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Art in my DNA

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/12/pennsylvania-dutch-folk-art-in-my-dna.html


12' Pack & 14' Hunter -- Discontinued Old Town Canoes

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/04/12-pack-14-hunter-discontinued-old-town.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Canoe Trolling For Trout

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/02/cowboy-wisdom-canoe-trolling-for-trout.html


Tribute to ol' Montana

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2019/11/seeking-my-last-best-place.html


End of an era and a cowboy lifestyle

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2019/08/end-of-era-and-cowboy-lifestyle.html



1969 - 2013, PROFESSIONAL HOME BUILDER

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/1969-2013-professional-home-builder.html


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