Cactus flowers and 3D-printed agaves

May 30, 2020

Ka-pow! Colorful cactus flowers are knocking my socks off.

Look at these orange beauties.

And these in satin pink!

Mwah! I love them.

And check out these bamboo-textured agaves my son printed on his 3D printer. Cool, eh? They look especially good displayed on a Charley Harper-illustrated tray.

The big one is for me. The small one is for our Italian exchange student, who is heading home in a few days after spending 9-1/2 months with us. A nice parting gift from him, don’t you think? It will remind her of Austin.

I’m sending her home with my recipes for her favorite dishes (chicken pot pie, homemade broccoli and tomato pizza, stuffed peppers, brownies) and a set of U.S. measuring cups and spoons so she doesn’t have to convert the ingredient amounts into the European system. And she’s leaving us with recipes for our favorites of the Italian meals she cooked for us (several delicious pasta dishes and her special ragù sauce). How fun is that?

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Digging Deeper

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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

12 responses to “Cactus flowers and 3D-printed agaves”

  1. Kris P says:

    As impressed as I am by those cactus flowers, I’m even more impressed with the 3D agaves! And yes, the agaves and that tray are made for one another. Your exchange student couldn’t have had a better sponsor, especially in light of the added challenges presented by the pandemic.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Aw thanks, Kris. We had such a good time hosting her this year.

    • Nell Lancaster says:

      Likewise! I’m blown away by the agaves, and look forward to future 3-D production.

      That opening shot is gorgeous, with the echoes of grey and orange magnifying the power of the basic ka-pow.

      • Pam/Digging says:

        Thanks, Nell! The orange chair showing under the table slats made a perfect color-echoing backdrop for that shot.

  2. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Beautiful flowers and that agave is unique. You will miss your young lady. Great parting gifts too.

  3. Great gifts all around…and that’s pure genius to include US measuring cups/spoons.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      I thought it was a pretty good idea! She loves to cook, so hopefully she’ll find them useful.

  4. Jenny says:

    You have created some wonderful memories for you, your family and for your student. And such thoughtful parting gifts. I am impressed that she cooks at such a young age. I don’t recall ever having to cook until I was forced to when I got married.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Me too, Jenny. But yes, she enjoys cooking and cooked for us many times while she was here. We ate well!

  5. Robin Leja says:

    Wowza, cactus flowers aren’t something I see often and they really are eye popping!

    • Pam/Digging says:

      They are especially spectacular since the plants they arise from can seem so inhospitable.