My oldest hobbies are dogs (as a child Collie Tramp) and photography. At primary school, I started with an Agfa Isola (photo Dirk Böhling), a simple camera for roll film sizes 6x6, which at that time was about 40 DM.

Later, as a high school student, I acquired a Pentina E, the only  Reflex (bought in 1965 source) affordable for me. When I became a student, unfortunately there were no longer interchangeable lenses available for it, so I traded it in for a used Edixa with the then-standard M42 connector. As a teacher I then made me an Olympus OM 2, the first camera that could drive a TTL flash. When Olympus ceased production of SLR, I switched to Canon and currently own a EOS 70D with which I am very satisfied.

With the change from the elementary school in Viersen to the High School in Aachen was added another hobby of football. How can you spend your free time in a boys boarding else? During my studies I stopped playing football, but the enthusiasm for football had initially gradually flared up again only when my wife our son René filed at SC Viktoria 04 Rheydt. I then played several years with the old masters, was on the board and Youth Board operates and managed for many years as a coach the team in which my son played. After the second kee surgery the active time was over, I will limit myself since then on to look at my son playing football and looking after the home of his club, SV Helpenstein.

The time was now ripe for another hobby, sailing. Even in my first year as teacher at the High School Gymnasium an der Gartenstraße took me a 7th grade with sailing in touch when they invited me during the Easter holidays for a day trip to Loosdrecht. Then I launched 1982 first course at our school trip with a flatboat (and establishing a tradition that is maintained to this day). After the second knee operation  I made the Yachtmaster coastal and acquired a small cabin cruiser, a Leisure 17 SL. Unfortunately, led G8 and the move to Wildenrath mean that the boat is not used for several years remaining on the trailer.

My my wife had resisted to get a dog, because she was a little afraid of dogs. But then we came in contact with a couple who had a collie female that should be fetilized once. My wife was at once excited by the idea of ​​having a small collie. Unfortunately, the dog got sick, but the idea remained. So we found a Collie from a private breeder. Astor was a proud, beautiful collie dog, who, especially in our holiday region in France had many fans - mostly female. On Astor, who died much too early due to a congenital heart defect for a Collie age of 11, followed Teddy, a Bernese bouvier we brought shortly after Astor's death from a visit to my sister in the Eifel. Teddy accompanied us  for 12 years what is unusual for a Bernese bouvier. Now Dexter, a Golden Retreiver bred by Cornelia Grabe, found us a home.

At last amateur dancing would be mentioned. For decades I had deaf ears when my wife wanted me to visit a dance class. When I was almost 60, I left convert me. And I found it fun, almost more than my wife. We dance Ballroom and Latin, since the end of 2014 in the dance school Theissen (Geilenkirchen). In addition, however, we also love to dance disco fox with Marcel and Annette within the Boogie Woogie club Tiger Feet. I myself would like to keep Boogie Woogie dance, but that would be to much for my wife's body. What a pity.