Talk about a different kind of waterfront living. Bridge tenders like Carrie Ratliff Jones, pictured, used to live in small homes atop our local bridges, where they oversaw operations and ensured safe passage for boats sailing through the area. Jones, who took over the Siesta Key drawbridge bridge tender job in 1945 after her first husband, Capt. Bud Lundy, passed away, made a cozy life in her three-bedroom aerie, which included a combined kitchen/control room, pictured here, a living room/bedroom and a bathroom (albeit with no sink).

“When we’d visit, the bridge gate would open in front of her door and her whole house would shake,” Jones’ granddaughter, Linda Adams Lennard, recalls. “My grandma was tough as nails, attended church regularly and never hesitated to chastise a boater who attempted to cross under the bridge too soon.”

Look closely and you can see the bridge controls commingling with Jones’ everyday items: a two-burner stove with a roaster underneath; a spice rack and muffin tin in front of a window overlooking the bridge; a table that’s perfectly sized for the space.