Thanks guys, y'all could almost make a fat man blush.  The reason I hated the cherry was because I made a very large number of stop cuts all along the vines and flowers.  That stuff will wear your fingers out.  I have used cherry for spoons and it worked fine.  I use poplar for my santa/ woodspirit  christmas ornaments (pics coming as soon as I can finish painting the) and it works fine for that, but I have not liked a single poplar walking stick that I have carved.  Dharma, do you know of a good supplier for cottonwood bark and roots?  The last time I looked online, the bark was pretty costly for a good sized piece.