It was 1989. We lived in a great neighborhood with plenty of friends for our kids. But that summer, a key Ridge Road family was moving away. Our boys and a friend decided to make a video of the neighborhood as a going away gift. They borrowed a video camera (think one grade above the home movies of the 1950's). It was bulky and unreliable, but they managed to interview all of the neighbors without breaking the camera. Considering the technology and the experience of the producers (none), it was funny and moving and some of its classic lines are still in our repertoire, e.g., "Mmm Mmm Mmm, smells like a barbecue".

Technology changes, so a few years ago, fearing the VCR technology would disappear, I had the video made into a DVD so that we would have a copy for posterity. But when YouTube came along, our children decided that everyone who lived on Ridge Road back then should have a chance to see (a much edited) version of "Ridge Road: A Dramatic Documentary on the Internet, 19 years after it was produced.

They introduced the condensed version on YouTube as follows:

"The Rowe family moves to New York City, ripping a hole in the fabric of a utopian corner of 1980s Boston suburbia. Three young filmmakers with virtually no talent (but dashing good looks and keen fashion sense) capture the moment."

Have a look.