(page 10-10) A cluster..........                     

...of clecos.  The side skins (left and right and upper left and right) would have exhausted my supply of clecos had I done all four skins at once as called for in the manual.  Except for curved surfaces, I usually cleco every other hole, rivet all the holes left open, then remove the clecos and rivet the rest.  Clearly I didn't follow this procedure for the stabilator bearing plates (the dense cluster shown in the photo), the reason being that a gap of from 1/8th to 1/4 inch existed between the plates and the skins.  Once again, I thought something from Van's was less than perfect.  Wrong again.  Putting all the clecos in closed the gaps and everything looks great.  The side not shown is completely riveted, and I hope to finish this side today.  The Spousal Unit (my beautiful and exhausted wife, Karen, who is working all waking hours preparing to defend her PhD dissertation in August) has said she wants me out of the house until this evening.  Wilco, my dear.