[Leica] CHRISTMAS WISHES!

Mon Dec 26 08:53:01 PST 2016

Ted,

I hope you had a Super Christmas with family and friends.  Here's to a
Great New Year, and Many, Many more.

Gene & Chris

On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 8:09 AM, Howard L Ritter Jr <hlritter at twc.com>
wrote:

> That’s a great story, Ted! I guess the LUG will give you a pass on not
> posting photos of the event. Once survival had been assured, it must have
> been very annoying that despite being in the midst of a heart-stopping
> drama, you were too occupied in helping to ASSURE that survival to have
> been able to document it.
>
> Hmmm…are you looking for someone to help you write your autobiography?
> Selling a few hundred copies to the LUG would be just the start, I’m sure!
>
> Happy Boxing Day! (Or is that tomorrow, and today a holiday in the Great
> White North as it is here in the sunny south?)
>
> —howard
>
>
> > On Dec 24, 2016, at 7:10 PM, Ted Grant <tedgrant at shaw.ca> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Howard,
> > As we were plunging toward the ice, pilot attempting every flying trick
> he knew. He yelled at me to grab the fire extinguisher and when we landed
> to jump out, run around to the other side of the chopper, open engine
> compartment door and start pumping the fire extinguisher as quickly as
> possible at any fire.
> > Now I'm kneeling on the floor, camera in one hand, fire ext. in the
> other when I realized God made an error and only gave us two hands and
> arms? :-( So something had to be  modified given I had camera in one hand,
> fire extinguisher in the other? And I'm a normal human being with two
> hands. So how was I going to open the door to get out quickly?
> > The first and only time I ever put a camera down with the potential for
> exciting photos. Wham!!! we hit and as I already had my hand on the door
> handle it popped open and I'm out like a rocket to the opposite side of the
> chopper, Rotor blades going swishie-swishie over my head as I dashed around
> to the opposite side. Pilot has his door open with smoke billowing out. I
> grab handle, pop door open going to be hero of the day? Pilot screams at
> me' "THAT'S THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT"!!!!!!!!! OOOPPPSSSS!! :-)
> > Then I grabbed the correct handle and opened to a big poof of smoke!
> Mean while rotor blades still swishing just above my head! Seemed like they
> were getting closer??????
> > As it turned out it was a fire within the heating unit. So we had it out
> pretty quick. However we then had more than 2 hour flight "without heat" to
> the nearest directional DECCA stn. Where we would be able to have plane
> servicing.
> > Sorry no pictures of all this as you can imagine I had my hands full
> with survival things. :-) Sure had a fast beating heart though! :-)
> > cheers,
> > ted
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: LUG [mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca at leica-users.org] On
> Behalf Of Howard L Ritter Jr
> > Sent: December-24-16 3:28 PM
> > To: Leica Users Group
> > Subject: Re: [Leica] CHRISTMAS WISHES!
> >
> > Well, the Great Spirit, who must know by now to keep you on a short
> leash, is obviously much with you, Dr Ted, and for that we are all thankful
> as well!
> >
> > A blessed Merry Christmas to you and the same year-end sentiments to all
> LUGgers.
> >
> > —howard
> >
> > P.S. Sure would like to hear more about that helicopter plunging toward
> the Arctic ice…and to see the photos that the Dr Ted we know would have
> gotten. If his equipment survived (Leica? I’ll bet it did!).
> >
> >
> >> On Dec 24, 2016, at 6:04 PM, Ted Grant <tedgrant at shaw.ca> wrote:
> >>
> >> MY CHRISMAS 2016 WISHES TO THE CREW! J
> >>
> >> I wish you all the most exciting moments you can possibly enjoy while
> >> opening a gift from a friend or your caring LOVING FAMILY! J
> >>
> >> I realize the CREW is made up of a number of varying religions. So be
> it.
> >>
> >> May I suggest for a "tiny moment" if you possibly can? Here's my "Great
> >> Spirit" that has brought/got me this far?
> >>
> >> "The GREAT SPIRIT?" In reality, each and everyone of us has a "GREAT
> >> SPIRIT". Each religion has a different name for "HE? or SHE?"
> >>
> >> Maybe you aren't involved in a religion?
> >>
> >> BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT? Out there somewhere there is a "Great Spirit" that
> >> looks after you just as you "click?" The shutter assisting you to
> capture a
> >> magical moment.
> >>
> >> Now don't get all "TTTTTTing" J
> >>
> >> Nor get all anti-religion as this has nothing to do with religion?
> "WELL AS
> >> FAR AS I'M CONCERNED!"
> >>
> >> My "GREAT SPIRIT" has pretty well always been on my shoulder saving my
> ass
> >> during a few of the following!
> >>
> >> 1/ Crashing in a Sprint car during a race on a half mile dirt track!
> Flipped
> >> upside down and destroyed! The car was a write off. Me? Stitches in
> face and
> >> head!
> >>
> >> 2/ Crashing in a Stock Car then crashed into while I'm upside down
> hanging
> >> on my seat belt!" four other cars into me destroying my car!
> >>
> >> 3/ In the high arctic on assignment the helicopter filled with smoke
> and we
> >> are hundreds of miles from base camp falling toward the arctic ocean
> frozen
> >> ice at 50 below zero. OOPS!JWalked away! Damn cold
> >>
> >> 4/A ski equipped twin Otter plane bad landing on Arctic ice, breaking a
> wing
> >> and strut off. Rather bumpy one might say!  L
> >>
> >> 5/ Survived two war assignments.. 1967 Mideast and a short time in
> Vietnam
> >> 1968.
> >>
> >> 6/ While in the center field shooting at car race and wheel came off
> car,
> >> hit & FLIPPED me and cameras into the sky! OH YEA that hurt! I was by
> >> ambulance to hospital!  but I survived!
> >>
> >> That merely touches the 65 years as a photojournalist hopping about the
> >> world! That's because my "GREAT SPIRIT" has been on my shoulder all
> those
> >> years!
> >>
> >> So there you go a bit about my "GREAT SPIRIT!"J
> >>
> >> HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS DAY & a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!
> >>
> >> CHEERS,
> >>
> >> Dr. Ted Grant  C.M.  O.C.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ---
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> >>
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> >
> >
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