Barb Abelhauser

Barb Abelhauser has been a bridgetender since 2001. She has opened 9 different drawbridges in 3 different states. The opportunity to observe life from one very special, fixed point has inspired her to write a daily blog, The View from a Drawbridge, which she describes as “the random musings of a bridgetender with entirely too much time on her hands.”

Back in 2009, she did an interview for StoryCorps about her love of bridgetending, and then to her surprise, the transcribed interview was included in their 2016 anthology entitled Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work. From this experience, she has gone on to appear in NPR’s Morning Edition, Parade Magazine, and the September, 2016 issue of O Magazine.

All of this unexpected and exciting attention has given her the courage to create a series of anthologies from her daily blog. The series is entitled, “A Bridgetender’s View” and each edition will focus on a different topic.

Barb has learned much from the years of being a bridgetender. Her blogs are read by hundreds of loyal readers each day and some make her day by commenting! She truly believes that wisdom gained from daily life experiences and observations are all around us, if only we take the time to watch and listen.

Born in Connecticut and raised in Florida, Barb now lives in Seattle, Washington with her two dogs. She writes and opens drawbridges every day.

*Author portraits by Amy Sassenberg