Hi John, (and all)

My aunt lived in Tucson and when I visited her in 2000, she explained
the ramada as being a structure that served as a trellis for vining
plants or straw. A ramada can be free standing; she had one in her back
yard. They kinda remind me of what we call a "picnic shelter" back east
here. At the Museum of the Desert there outside of Tucson, I saw one
attached to a building, that had hummingbirds nesting in it, and some
sort of trumpet vine, which they fed on, growing all over it.

On google search page, enter "ramada" in the search box, click on
"images" above the search box, wade thru endless pix of hotels etc, find
a few examples of a natural ramada, and some of dimensional lumber with
tin roofs.

Here are some search results:

http://www.icaap.org/UtopiaOnWheels/Ramada.jpg
http://www.missionsandiego.com/ramada2.jpg
http://digital.library.arizona.edu/jsw/3401/holy/ramada.jpg

best, from deb

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