Huzzah for quick-and-dirty troubleshooting: Image Capture does recognize my camera, even if every other photo-importing program doesn’t. If you too are having trouble with Lion and your camera, give this discussion on the Apple support forum a look.

So: the haboob. Also known as a dust storm. I really love watching them come in. First, there’s a brown shadow in the distance, and then, as it approaches, you can see the edge, fuzzy but definite, high up in the air (not quite the height of a good cumulonimbus, for those of you who get thunderstorms more frequently). Next you can see it begin to close in on you, and the air is filled with birds zigzagging all over the place.

When I saw this particular haboob closing in, I went inside, because that storm moves very quickly. Within a minute of when I took the picture above, the air had turned completely brown, with the exception of the faded fuschia bougainvillea bracts floating along like discarded paper lanterns. Not exactly the sort of air you want to be breathing. The brown faded to milky white, and then, wonder of wonders, it rained.

Here’s wishing you a good storm to liven the murky days of late summer.