Yeppers, golden apples FTW.
Happened to have a couple apples and there is enough gold for one. Just one. I haven't made it yet, but I keep looking at the gold and remember "Take it slow. There are others depending on you!" Might seriously start looking in the deep, dark, dangerous mine left unto me. I seriously might have to, but I'm scared. Maybe if I made the apple and took it with me and stayed down underground for many days looking for gold...
I musta been deeply engrossed in my excitement I forgot to post! Day 1 was nothing more than install the map and load it to take a peek. I died in the wall, went ahead and re-spawned and continued from there. I located four good spots to collect different wood and have done so on day 2, which includes the tree type required to complete the house properly and gained a few saplings of each type in the process so we wouldn't have to go that far again for the wood. I also collected more seeds to fill the wheat field.
Day 3:
After surveying the land handed down to me I discovered the house is not only on top of a nice hill but is visible from a good distance. There is no more rain falling inside on our heads thanks to a new roof. A walkway now embraces the land from the house to the initial rules/spawning point (past the tree farm) and connects to the animals and mine. Several new signs are now placed. (**best singing voice** "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign!") There is plenty of wood from day 2, today and previous players. Didn't count the number of game days this time but it does take about a game day to walk the entire perimeter of our base home where I'm thinking of placing some fence to give a definite 'safe zone', or at least half as far. The wheat field is completely seeded and wheat and bread supplies are growing. Sugarcane field is expanded, with intent to expand it even farther. The cow count went from 2 to 5 and growing. There is now a chicken pen with 5 chickens. Found one chicken a good ways away (about 200 or so blocks I would guess) and lured it in the pen. Eggs managed to get me 2 chickens out of 10 'splats', seeds did the rest. Went ahead and killed the cows I could find and collected the leather/meat. Preparing to create books with quills.
Oh yeah, and I made some more chests and began sorting out the rather interesting but really nice things left by my predecessors. An organized individual is a happy individual!
Peace!