Uh-Oh, Having trouble with some of the stones bonding to the cement board. So much for listening to the sales person. Too much gravity, needed a scratch coat and possibly metal lath. It took 20 hours of work to get to this point. The big gap is where the stones didn’t bond. I would have never got this far without Denise’s help. Not only did she organize all the stones, she carried every single stone up from the garage to the second floor, about 900 pounds. And she baked a cake that weekend too. I’m a lucky man! 
Professional advice is currently being sought. Stay tuned.