Over the past week or so I have been noticing some small growth of fruit on my two grape vines.  I was originally told that they would fruit during the third year.  As it is only the second year that the vines have been in my garden, I was excited to start seeing the tiny fruit emerge between the leaves.  As the vines slowly grow along my fence, I see more and more mini bunches. 
As I began to think about the birds potentially pecking at the growing fruit, my excitement waned a bit.  Luckily just now I ran into Claudio, who helps to manage my condo building.  He had just come back from Puerto Rico and was happily gloating about the fresh fruit (bananas, mangos, etc) that seems to just fall from the sky at perfect ripeness. 
I mentioned how I wished that I could grow avocados and lemons in my little community garden.  That brought back his memories of growing up in Chile.  His grandfather had planted all sorts of fruit trees, including a fig tree that was the cause of a number of broken arms for Claudio (venturing to the top of a fig tree to harvest fruit was a dangerous undertaking given the soft fig tree limbs). 
I then told him about today's trip to the garden and my excitement at how many bunches of grapes are in my future.  He had learned at an early age to use newspaper cones to protect the bunches from birds.  Also, if you waited long enough those bunches would turn into raisins right on the vine.  If I can get the grapes to grow to full maturity, I'll cash in my chips and just eat them as is  - no chance that I am going to wait for some animal rascals to make off with any raisins.