I did a poor job of preparing the surface. I did not rub the board faces with fine grit sand paper or steel wool before the initial stain application and I did not wipe the faces clean with mineral spirits before the first coat or between coats.
I set up a lousy work station. I used old trash cans as work benches in my back yard. This is fine but the problem is that my backyard is partially shaded so the stain dried unevenly. Also, the boards were left to dry overnight and a heavy dew the next morning was not helpful.
I applied the stain too quickly and drips and runs formed on the edges, which I was too busy to notice. The runs have now hardened and can be removed with a finger nail but the resulting stain will be uneven.
I let the boards become bone dry and then dead stacked them in my carport. I hope that the high temperatures and humidity do not cause the boards to stick.