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.