Bishop Ca

Gray clouds grumbled behind the knife-like peaks of the Inconsolable Range. Rain pattered down onto our ponchos and formed perfect circles on a High Sierra lake. Did we care about the icy breeze just starting? Not at all. We'd gone fishin', and almost every cast was bringing in a perfect vermilion-bellied brook trout. Still, as most fishermen know, it's not just about the catching. Fishing comes closest to capturing the total absorption I felt when I played with toys as a child.

FOR more than half a century anglers have welcomed April with a common prayer: "Let it warm up before the Sierra opener," and for the last few years the heavens listened. By the start of trout-fishing season, icy waters from Bridgeport to Lone Pine melted to reveal trout eager for bait. But fate is as fickle as a feathered fly, and this season -- starting April 30 -- the forecast is for chilly weather and tough fishing.

My wife grew up in New York's Hudson Valley, where the hills are alight every autumn in a glorious blaze of orange, red and yellow leaves, the air is crisp and the skies are filled with honking V-formations of Canada geese. This was Mary's second fall in Southern California, and she'd had it. Enough with the eternal spring, already! She wanted some color in the trees, some bite in the air. I said I knew just the place. We'd go to Paradise.

For generations, American Indians and whites largely kept to themselves in this eastern Sierra hamlet, living side by side but not together. Now, the slaying of a white store clerk -- and the death threats against Indian girls that followed -- has forced Indians and whites to come together to ask some difficult questions: Did their way of life contribute to the killing? Can more violence be prevented?

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake, the strongest in California this year, struck Monday afternoon in a sparsely populated desert region in the Last Chance Mountains about 35 miles southeast of Bishop. Although the earthquake was felt over a wide area, as far away as Sacramento, Fresno, and parts of Los Angeles, no injuries or major damage were reported. The National Earthquake Information Center at Golden, Colo., said the temblor occurred at 4:21 p.m. and there were a number of small aftershocks.

Last October, 15-year-old Brad Whiteside was crossing through a park in this Eastern Sierra town when he was jumped by two other teens. He was beaten so severely that he lost vision in one eye for a week. The boy's mother, Susan Flaherty, was so outraged over the daytime attack that she organized a citizens group--Bishop Residents Against Gangs--to help fight a growing juvenile crime problem here.

FOR more than half a century anglers have welcomed April with a common prayer: "Let it warm up before the Sierra opener," and for the last few years the heavens listened. By the start of trout-fishing season, icy waters from Bridgeport to Lone Pine melted to reveal trout eager for bait. But fate is as fickle as a feathered fly, and this season -- starting April 30 -- the forecast is for chilly weather and tough fishing.

A husband and wife were found shot to death in their home Tuesday, victims of the only murders in the remote town all year, officials said. Authorities said they had arrested Leon Disney, 54, on suspicion of killing Michael Strickler, 58, and Janet Strickler, 54. Inyo County sheriff's officials declined to identify a motive, but said Disney reported the deaths.

For generations, American Indians and whites largely kept to themselves in this eastern Sierra hamlet, living side by side but not together. Now, the slaying of a white store clerk -- and the death threats against Indian girls that followed -- has forced Indians and whites to come together to ask some difficult questions: Did their way of life contribute to the killing? Can more violence be prevented?

After rescuers pulled the remains of four people from the wreckage of a small aircraft in the rugged eastern Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, friends said they feared the Mission Viejo couple who own the plane are among the dead. Dave Buck, Inyo County's chief deputy coroner, said the bodies of two men and two women were pulled from the debris, but their names won't be released until relatives are notified.

A husband and wife were found shot to death in their home Tuesday, victims of the only murders in the remote town all year, officials said. Authorities said they had arrested Leon Disney, 54, on suspicion of killing Michael Strickler, 58, and Janet Strickler, 54. Inyo County sheriff's officials declined to identify a motive, but said Disney reported the deaths.

After rescuers pulled the remains of four people from the wreckage of a small aircraft in the rugged eastern Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, friends said they feared the Mission Viejo couple who own the plane are among the dead. Dave Buck, Inyo County's chief deputy coroner, said the bodies of two men and two women were pulled from the debris, but their names won't be released until relatives are notified.

My wife grew up in New York's Hudson Valley, where the hills are alight every autumn in a glorious blaze of orange, red and yellow leaves, the air is crisp and the skies are filled with honking V-formations of Canada geese. This was Mary's second fall in Southern California, and she'd had it. Enough with the eternal spring, already! She wanted some color in the trees, some bite in the air. I said I knew just the place. We'd go to Paradise.

Gray clouds grumbled behind the knife-like peaks of the Inconsolable Range. Rain pattered down onto our ponchos and formed perfect circles on a High Sierra lake. Did we care about the icy breeze just starting? Not at all. We'd gone fishin', and almost every cast was bringing in a perfect vermilion-bellied brook trout. Still, as most fishermen know, it's not just about the catching. Fishing comes closest to capturing the total absorption I felt when I played with toys as a child.

Last October, 15-year-old Brad Whiteside was crossing through a park in this Eastern Sierra town when he was jumped by two other teens. He was beaten so severely that he lost vision in one eye for a week. The boy's mother, Susan Flaherty, was so outraged over the daytime attack that she organized a citizens group--Bishop Residents Against Gangs--to help fight a growing juvenile crime problem here.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake, the strongest in California this year, struck Monday afternoon in a sparsely populated desert region in the Last Chance Mountains about 35 miles southeast of Bishop. Although the earthquake was felt over a wide area, as far away as Sacramento, Fresno, and parts of Los Angeles, no injuries or major damage were reported. The National Earthquake Information Center at Golden, Colo., said the temblor occurred at 4:21 p.m. and there were a number of small aftershocks.

* Harrington's, Main Street, Richmond, VT 05477; (802) 434-4444. Cooked spiral-sliced party ham, 8 pounds for $59.95 plus $9.95 shipping. Also sells maple syrup, Cheddar and other Vermont food products. * Ozark Trails, marketed by Ham I Am, 1303 Columbia Drive, Suite 201, Richardson, TX 75081; (800) 742-6426. Bone-in peppered ham, 14 pounds for $69.95 plus $17.35 shipping. Also sells bacon, smoked turkeys, sausages, Brie en crou^te and Hogwash, a sweet-sour horseradish sauce.