Question regarding authentication/login

Hello, I have installed postgres version 8.4.9 from the debian repository.

I set up a username and password, and was able to create my tables and add
information to the database from a java application running through a
remote SSH tunnel.

Then I moved this same command line program onto the same server as the
database resides : when I create tables from this location I can only
access them from this local machine: I can use psql -U user dbname (same
login and pass as the remote connection) and i can select * from
users; and it shows all the entries just fine.

But if I try to connect using the same login and password through a remote
SSH tunnel, I can not see any of the tables created from the CLI on the
server... If I create the tables from the remote location I can query them
fine.

The exact error message is : ERROR: relation "users" does not exist
(Either from pgAdmin GUI, or from the command line interface that comes
with pgAdmin )

Am I misunderstanding something fundamental about user authentication? How
does postgres distinguish localhost connections from SSH tunneled
connections? Is it possible that somehow connecting form a local linux-user
account is creating hidden tables within my otherwise remotely accessable
database?

Thank you