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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